From Salisu Zakari Maradun, Gusau
Following the intervention of the minister of defence by directing the military to move down to the war-torn part of the country and act until they are successful, peace has relatively returned to the region, a fact that everyone can testify to.
As a result of the intervention of the minister, Dr. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, some of the terrorists commanders have so far been eliminated while others are currently being hunted by the military.
This action of the minister has vindicated him of the accusation levelled against him by the present PDP-led government of Zamfara state being a saboteur in respect of the fight against the bandit who have for long taken over the affairs of the state since even before the minister became the governor of the state.
Matawalle who ruled the state for four years did all he could to ensure that the calamity which he also inherited was brought down, or rather to an end, recorded a lot of achievement as it was during his reign the entire people of the state of different tribes came together for the first time after many years of disunity and disagreement between them.
With the elimination of two major king pins in the state and subsequent hunting of others as directed by the minister, there is every possibility for the farmers in the state and the neighboring katsina and sokoto to have a successful harvest of their farm products without any hitch or threat of bandits as many of them have taken to their heels for fear of military action.
Many people across the state are presently jubilating and praising the minister who they believed has the state at heart contrary to the speculation making the round that the former governor is a saboteur.
“Actually, the president has not made a wrong choice to have appointed Matawalle as minister and initially, we had the belief that Bello Mohammed will perform efficiently and effectively having chaired the national assembly committee on security and intelligence successfully when he served as a national assembly member representing Bakura/Maradun federal constituencies,” explained one, Malam Ibrahim Nata’alah, a resident of Rawaiya town of Bungudu Local Government of the state while speaking with our correspondent.
“We have already known it that the minister has been doing all that he could do within his reach with regard to insecurity since even when he was the governor talkless of now when he has been entrusted with the security of the nation. And those calling him a saboteur, they were and are still the saboteurs because all the efforts he makes as far as the fight against banditry is concerned, they are the same people who sabotage the efforts through the use of politics, stated Alhaji Kasimu Idris of Sabon gari area in Gusau the state capital. Kasimu therefore opined that a special prayer should be organized for the success in his current crusade on the fight against insurgents and their promoters as well as their facilitators who turned it into a lucrative business.
Speaking further, Kasimu explained that all the propaganda of the government of the state through the use of media with aim of tarnishing the image of the minister has been useless adding that “we are not unaware of the huge amount of money given to some media houses aimed at painting the minister black, but God in his infinite mercy vindicated him,” he added.
He added that the plan the government of the state wanted to implement to trick the less educated ones in respect of insecurity situation by embarking on an underground reconciliation with bandits to put down their weapons, which it earlier said it will not has been exposed.
