The Zamfara State Government has given no fewer than 15 Toyota Hilux vans and approved cash running into millions of naira as compensation to some “repentant” bandits in the state, Sahara Reporters has reported.
The compensation was said to be pursuant to a peace deal brokered between the state government and some repentant bandits in 2019, under the administration of Governor Bello Matawalle.
Quoting an unnamed senior military officer, the popular online medium reported that some of the bandits now use the vehicles obtained from the state government to carry out attacks.
“Those bandits have different group, so if they say they repent, the governor will give them a Hilux vehicle but unfortunately they are now using the vehicles to carry out attacks.
“On Sunday, they attacked Jankara but were resisted by the local vigilantes, so they fled and left one of those Hilux vehicles and the motorcycles they came with behind.
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“It’s so sad, he called it peace and reconciliation programme, but all you need to be rich now in Zamfara is to take up arms against the people,” the officer was quoted to have said.
Zamfara is one of the North-West states plagued by the menace of armed banditry in the last decade.
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