KEY POINTS
- Governor Lawal has faith in the military’s prowess to hunt down and neutralise Bello Turji.
- Airstrike conducted in Zamfara killed over 16 innocent civilians.
- Government contacts the affected families and also supports the conducted investigations.
Zamfara state governor, Mohammed Dauda said the Nigerian Armed Forces will capture or kill notorious bandit, Bello Turji soon.
During an interview, Governor Lawal has commended the military’s recent increased vigor to tackle banditry in Zamfara. “Bello Turji is a matter of time,”. He has only counted days to be out of power since I have witnessed the dedication of the Armed Forces to unseat him,” he said.
Responding to recent airstrike catastrophe
Briefly, Governor Lawal also spoke about the recent military airstrike in Tungar Kara, Maradun Local Government Area to which over 16 residents lost their lives.
He said that the act was not planned, but was a by-product of an operation that targeted bandits within that region.
‘We alerted the Air Force that bandits are attacking some of the communities and they immediately deployed, counteracting many of them.’ But in another operation, friendly fires were observed where CPGs and locals were accidentally targeted,” he said.
Specifically the governor noted that the loss of lives was unwarranted but resulted from the instability in the country.
Mitigating measure regarding the consequences
The trend was endorsed by Governor Lawal who offered his condolences to the bereaved families and weighed on measures taken to contain the sad event’s consequences.
He noted that a delegation comprising of his deputy governor visited the area of disaster with a view of consolation to the bereaved families.
“The delegation was explaining what happened, and the families realized it wasn’t on purpose,” he said.
The Nigerian Air Force has however mobilised a team to probe the circumstances surrounding the incident with a view on how such mishaps may be averted in future.
New appetite for security
To this end, Governor Lawal reiterated the support of his administration by the ongoing military action in Zamfara state and called on residents to encourage the military efforts aimed at combating banditry.
The governor is hopeful of the security situation in the area as the military steps up operation against Bello Turji’s territory, he says more efforts must be made for the protection of lives and property.
