Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, says without his action as the number one citizen of Zamfara State in the North-West zone, the entire northern region would have been on fire.
Matawalle, who is the former governor of Zamfara State,said this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja, described insecurity as a menace, saying conflict entrepreneurs were responsible for unending banditry.
According to him, “Banditry has its economy; which is fuelling the crime in the country. Conflict entrepreneurs don’t want insecurity to finish in this country. Many people in the North are part of the business”.
“I call it business now; because those selling drugs are part of it; those selling food, fuel and other essentials are all part of it. The informants get a lot from doing that. They are paid handsomely for that crime. So, they don’t want the evil to end. Many people have keyed into the business”, he stated.
The Minister, however, said that security was a collective responsibility for all Nigerians, urging all to put their differences aside, and team up to fight it, adding that if not for some of the actions he took as a governor, the northern part of the country would have been burning by now.
The former governor said that the worst part of the situation was that people didn’t appreciate what the military was doing.
Matawalle further debunked claims in some quarters that the government was negotiating with criminals.
