At the moment, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa, the chief of the defence staff, and Dauda Lawal, the governor of Zamfara State, are meeting at the defense headquarters in Abuja.
Although specifics of the meeting had not yet been released at the time of this report, it was learned that the two would discuss the security issues plaguing the state.
Lawal arrived at the military’s headquarters at 12:22 p.m. with the assistance of his bodyguards, while the Defence Chief was surrounded by other senior military officers within the Armed Forces Complex.
An official who did not want his name published informed Daily Trust that the military’s ability to permanently end the banditry crisis in Zamfara State is what is driving the meeting.
“Apart from the congratulatory messages both of them are going to exchange, they will also discuss strategic moves on how to address security challenges in the State of the governor as well as other states in the country,” the official said.
The North West state has been the hotbed of killings, the latest being the death of four policemen at a checkpoint in the state.
Bandits have been on rampage in the state in the last few years – the development that has claimed hundreds of lives and raised concerns among local and international communities.
Recently, a former governor of the State, Sani Yerima, asked the President, Bola Tinubu to negotiate with terror gangs operating in Zamfara State and other parts of the Northwest of the country.
Yerima said the negotiation he was advocating was similar to what the administration of former President Umar Yar’Adua did with militants in the Niger Delta, which gave birth to the amnesty programme, but Lawal kicked against it.