Minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Monday in Abuja admonished Zamfara State Governor Lawal Dare, against politicising efforts by the federal government to end insecurity.
According to him Zamfara government is supposed to appreciate security agents and Federal Government institutions for the prompt effort to rescue abducted students of the Federal University, Gusau
Instead, the Zamfara government chose to play politics with the sensitive matter for cheap political goals.
Federal Government institutions are empowered by law to spring to action with or without prompting to ensure safe return of citizens illegally taken hostage, like in the case of these hapless students.
The fact that details of such delicate operations are not revealed by the institutions responsible does not make it in any way surreptitious, as the Zamfara government atrociously described the effort.
For the avoidance of doubt, no official of the Federal Government is engaged in negotiation with any bandit or group of bandits.
Government maintains its resolve to explore every available avenue that can lead to the de-escalation of tension and bring back peace to communities ravaged by banditry,’’ the minister said.