Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has said that his government will not consider the appeal of terrorists to stop the bombing of their hideouts.
This followed the Nigerian Air Force’s (NAF) vow to continue its onslaught on bandits and terrorists in the North-West, particularly Zamfara until peace returns to the zone.
In April, a suspected bandit leader, Garba Aminu in a video posted on social media appealed to the governor to dialogue with terrorists for peace to reign in the state.
Lawal said his government would sustain its effort in fighting terrorists, adding that his administration would not negotiate with criminals.
The governor, who spoke through his Chief Press Secretary, Sulaiman Idris, called on bandits and other terrorists in the state to lay down their arms.
He said, “You don’t negotiate with killers while they still wield dangerous weapons. They need to surrender themselves first to the authorities, and then we can weigh the next step.
“As it stands, we don’t see any remorse from the bandits. Most of their leaders and other bandits were killed during the ongoing operation called ‘Ceton Arewa’ which started a few weeks ago. They will continue to be bombarded until they finally surrender”.
Also, a senior officer in the Nigerian Air Force who spoke to Sunday PUNCH under anonymity because he was not authorised to speak on the issue, said NAF would continue its aerial bombardment of terrorists until the state is rid of criminals.
The source said, “NAF will continue to carry out its constitutional responsibility of protecting the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
“We won’t stop until the people of Zamfara can go on with their daily lives without threat to their lives or properties. They deserve a good life and we owe them that much. We have had several air interdictions in the general area. We do this daily, day in and day out”.
