The Federal Government on Tuesday warned some traditional rulers and highly placed individuals in Zamfara against colluding with bandits in the state to perpetuate nefarious activities.
The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, in a statement issued by his spokesman, by Col. Tukur Gusau, on Tuesday said fresh intelligence had exposed the complicity of some “highly-placed traditional rulers” in the ongoing killings of Nigerians across the northern parts of the country.
He also accused those individuals as helping the bandits with intelligence to perpetuate their activities, as well as frustrating security agencies’ efforts to address the challenge.
Dan-Ali further warned that any person or group of persons who choose to sympathise with the bandits, to retract their steps or face the full wrath of the law.
According to him, the Armed Forces had been directed to deal decisively with anybody identified helping the bandits under whatever guise no matter how highly placed the person may be.
He said government had taken a number of measures to deal with the problem, including the establishment of 8 Division in Sokoto and the conduct of Exercise Harbin Kunama III, to combat banditry in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Birnin Gwari axis of Kaduna state
Gusau called on the people of the affected states to cooperate with the security agencies by giving useful information. (NAN)