Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle has signed the Anti-Banditry and Other Related Offences Bill into law.
The law, which comes into force with immediate effect, has death penalty for those found guilty of banditry and other related offences in the state.
Speaking after signing the Bill into law on Tuesday, Matawalle said the law formed part of measures to tackle banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in Zamfara State.
The law: Prohibition and Punishment for Banditry, Cattle Rustling, Cultism, Kidnapping and Other Incidental Offences, 2022, was passed by the House of Assembly on Monday.
The governor said the law was part of the government’s effort to tackle banditry and associated crimes across the state.
“Today, we have signed the Bill on Prohibition and Punishment for Banditry, Cattle Rustling, Cultism, Kidnapping and Other Incidental Offences, 2022.
“You may recall that yesterday (Monday) I inaugurated four security-related committees as part of our counter-banditry initiatives.
Formation of the committees is aimed at ensuring the effective implementation of the security measures being taken to end the over a decade-old banditry and other security-related challenges,” he said.
The governor said he had earlier signed Executive Orders 7, 8, 9, and 10, which provide the legal instruments and operational guidelines for the committees.
According to him, the most fundamental focus of governance anywhere in the world is security.
Matawalle also said his administration would go to any length within the law to secure the state and restore peace in the communities.
“Zamfara State, under my watch, will continue to explore all possible remedies to our plight.
“Those making insinuations about our decision to support the right of community members to self-defence against ruthless attacks by bandits ought to take into consideration the scale of the problem we are facing.
“They should take into account the plight of the innocent people who are maimed, killed, and kidnapped every day in various parts of the state,” he added.
The governor said the state Community Protection Guards are not different from the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State and Amotekun in the Southwest.
“Our move is particularly significant, considering the fact that there is currently no part of the country that is not facing one form of insecurity or the other.
“Our conventional security forces are operating in various theatres, ranging from the Southeast to the Southwest, the Northeast to the Northcentral, heroically battling varying degrees of security challenges.
“They are not only overstretched but also lack enough modern equipment to prosecute counter-banditry and insurgency warfare effectively,” he said.
Matawalle stressed that there were similar moves by the state government to complement the efforts of the security forces “with the ultimate goal of totally defeating the miscreants”.
The new law, according to him, will serve as a legal instrument for prosecuting banditry-related offenders.