Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has declared that the menace of banditry in the state would be wiped out within two months if state governors were granted direct control over security agencies.

In a viral video shared on Wednesday, the governor lamented that although he holds the title of chief security officer of Zamfara, security operatives in the state only take instructions from Abuja. This, he said, has severely limited the effectiveness of the fight against banditry.

“I swear to Almighty Allah, I know the exact locations of bandit leaders in Zamfara. I can even show them on my phone today. But we cannot act because we lack the authority,” he stated.

He added, “If I had direct control over the security agencies, banditry would end in two months.”

Governor Lawal also cited cases where security forces ignored early warnings of attacks, including one in Shinkafi Local Government, because they were awaiting clearance from Abuja. Despite this challenge, he noted that his administration has been providing security agencies with logistics support, in addition to recruiting thousands of Community Protection Guards and 2,000 hunters from Borno and Yobe to strengthen the fight against criminals.

Beyond security operations, Lawal said his government is also ready to address root causes of the crisis by providing social amenities such as schools and potable water to communities.

He urged residents to remain patient and expressed his emotional burden over the situation. “Most of the time, I shed tears for my people because I can see a problem but cannot instruct security operatives to act swiftly. We have left everything in God’s hands, and surely, He will come to our rescue,” he assured.