President Muhammadu Buhari, annoyed by the incessant killing of innocent citizens by bandits has called the National Security Adviser, NSA, retired Major General Babagana Monguno, to rise up to the occasion and ensure that banditry activities are brought to an end.
The NSA had already been directed to hold stakeholders meeting involving the important security agencies and ministries on the nuisance being caused by illegal miners who are taking resources they have no legal rights to make use of.
This was information was contained in a statement made by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in Abuja yesterday.
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The statement read, “President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered for an immediate response to rising cases of bandit attacks on communities in Zamfara State.
“In a directive to the National Security Adviser, Major-General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), the President ordered that there must be a clear pathway to ending the resurgent banditry that has continued to cost lives and the displacement of thousands of families from their towns and villages.
“Recall that recently, the Speaker of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, Hon. Nasir Magarya, wrote a letter in which he appealed to President Buhari to intervene and stop the incessant killings by bandits in the State.
“In this respect, a meeting is soon to take place that will deliberate on security and the issue of illegal mining which is fueling the crisis in Zamfara State.
“In addition to NSA the convener, the meeting will be attended by Major-General Bashir Magashi (Rtd), Ogbeni Ra’uf Aregbesola and Architect Olamilekan Adegbite, Ministers of Defence, Interior, and Mines and Steel respectively.
“Also to attend the meeting is the Directors-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, and the National Intelligence Agency, NIA.
“Beyond the problems of bandits and cattle rustlers, the scale of lawlessness has been aggravated by illegal miners who are harvesting resources they have no legal rights to exploit.
“Official statistics suggest that there are more than 20,000 such miners undermining this important part of the economy, operating in a manner that is extraordinarily harmful and destructive. The result is chaos.
“This meeting is expected to address these and associated issues of corruption, government oversight and lawlessness.”
