The leader of a notorious Fulani-Muslim extremist group in Zamfara State, northwestern Nigeria, has pleaded with the state governor, Dauda Lawal, and the military for a ceasefire and the initiation of peace talks.
The bandit kingpin made the plea through a video message shared on social media by an X user, Imran Muhammad. He beseeched Governor Lawal and the Nigerian military to halt the ongoing operations against his group and to engage in dialogue to find a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict.
TruthNigeria could not independently verify the authenticity of the video and the identity of the speaker. However, Sahara Reporters identified the speaker as Kachalla Garba Aminu.
In the video, the terrorist leader was surrounded by his gang members, each carrying an Ak-47. Claiming to be representing the interests of bandit groups in Zamfara and Zamfara locals, he urged the state authorities to “fear God” and stop sending “warplanes to bomb” bandits.
“As from today we need peace, we need peaceful coexistence in Zamfara State. Continued fighting will not bring us peace,” the bandit leader said. This plea comes amid heightened military offensives aimed at the complete annihilation of bandits in Zamfara, one of the northern states worst hit by bandit violence in recent years.
TruthNigeria recently documented that all 14 Local governance Areas (Counties) of Zamfara are dominated by bandit terrorists extorting payments from all farmers before they can plant or harvest crops. To counter the broad control of criminals over the economy and cultural life of the state, Nigerian army and air force have initiated 7 strikes at terrorist-bandit hubs. Two of these raids involve the killing of notorious terrorist kingpins. The public gesture of one criminal kingpin may be a sign that the bombing raids have degraded the criminal infrastructure.
In January, Governor Lawal launched Community Protection Guards (CPG), a local vigilante group, to complement the efforts of the Nigerian armed forces in defending Zamfara communities against the ruthless terrorists.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
