Insecurity: Zamfara governor makes U-turn after saying not all bandits are criminals
- Governor Matawalle has reacted to a controversial statement he made about bandits
- The Zamfara state governor blames an error for the statement
- Matawalle has been under fire for saying not all bandits are criminals
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The Zamfara state governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, has said his statement that not all bandits are criminals was made in error.
Mohammed had made the statement during a visit to President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday, February 18.
Source: Twitter
The governor had gone to brief the president on the security situation in the state.
However, Mohammed in another statement on Friday, February 19, through his media aide, Zailani Bappa, said he meant to say that not all Fulani were criminals, Premium Times reported.
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The statement read in part:
"In that interview, he tried to make clear his known and popular view that not all FILANII are CRIMINALS.
"He went on to explain the injustices meted on them such as rustling their cattle as reasons that pushed them to criminality.
"If indeed he mentioned the word BANDITS instead of FULANI, then it was an inadvertent mistake as common sense dictates that banditry cannot at any time be justified as a non-criminalit.''
The Zamfara state government urged Nigerians to disregard the story on the controversial message, stating that the governor never wanted to portray such a perception.
Meanwhile, the security team dispatched from Abuja to Niger state for the rescue of Kagara students and workers has located the captives in the recesses of a forest.
This was confirmed by a security agent who confided in Punch on the condition of anonymity on Thursday, February 18.
According to the source, the abductors of the students, staff members, and the passengers belong to the same gang.
In another report, a popular Islamic cleric, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi has shared details of his recent meeting with armed bandits in Niger state.
The bandits had kidnapped some students and teachers in the north-central state earlier this week.
Kess Ewubare is a senior political/current affairs correspondent at Legit.ng. He has both a BSc and a Master’s degree in mass communication. He has over 10 years of experience in working in several fields of mass communication including radio, TV, newspaper, and online. For Kess, journalism is more than a career, it is a beautiful way of life.
Source: Legit.ng
