Governor Lawal explained that Zamfara’s insecurity reflects broader African challenges, fueled by weak governance, inequality, and the rise of armed non-state actors like bandits and insurgents. He traced the crisis to years of marginalization, climate change, and illicit arms spread, worsened by unemployment and poor policing.
His administration’s strategy focuses on coordinated security operations, community protection forces, and intelligence-sharing with traditional leaders. Local peace committees, involving emirs, women, and youth representatives, work to resolve disputes, while partnerships with Nigeria’s security agencies and Colombia aim to rehabilitate former extremists.
Lawal criticized informal peace talks in Nigeria’s North-West, warning that letting armed groups dictate terms without surrendering weapons only delays violence and weakens the state. He insisted sustainable peace demands government authority, justice, and the rule of law.
The National Institute for Security Studies commended his insights, attended by senior security officials from Nigeria and other African nations.