This is just as the Zamfara State government has inaugurated a 2,600-member quasi-security organisation called Community Protection Guards (CPGs) to help in rolling back the threat coming from bandits in the state.
INTEGRITY NEWS reports that the region is most affected by bandits levy taxes, kill and kidnap residents for ransom.
In the past a few governors had negotiated peace deals with known bandit leaders in which a lot of money was believed to have been given to the outlaws to give up their criminal activities, but they soon returned to their old habits, using the funds to buy more arms.

But at the graduation and official commissioning of CPG, in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, yesterday, the chairman of the North West Governors’ Forum and governor of Katsina State, Umar Dikko Radda, announced the position of his colleagues, saying no more negotiation with the outlaws.
Governor Radda said the governors had resolved to work together as a force to clear the region of all acts of banditry.
The governor said, “We have resolved to work together as a team, in spite of the political differences, to save our people from the menace of insecurity.”
According to him, in the fight against banditry there is no All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) but North West region only.

He stressed that the well-being and progress of the region was the main concern of the present leadership in the region.

Governor Radda maintained that with the launch of the community protection guards in Katsina and Zamfara, the remaining states of Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna would follow suit.

On his part, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal expressed appreciation for the successful screening and training of the community protection guards, saying they were recruited to address the problem of insecurity in the state.

He reiterated the commitment of his administration to improve infrastructure and end the menace of banditry in the state.

INTEGRITY NEWS reports that five governors of Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina and the deputy governor of Kaduna State attended the official commissioning of the CPG.

In his address at the graduation ceremony, the Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, said his administration had embarked on the arduous task with a commitment to gradual reforms across all sectors of the state’s economy to instill sanity and accelerate development.

“While we make these efforts, the lofty goals we set out to achieve will remain a mirage as long as the formidable challenge of insecurity remains unaddressed.

“This informed our decision to, among other things, establish the Community Protection Guards, known as Askarawa. The Steering Committee for establishing the Community Protection Guards traversed the 14 local government areas and screened eligible volunteers for enrolment into the outfit.

“Today, therefore, the first batch of the Community Protection Guards (2,645) are graduating. These young, energetic and vibrant personnel have undergone rigorous training, extensive drilling, and an understanding of the rules of engagement, amongst other skills, in the due discharge of their responsibility of partnering, assisting and working with the security agencies to defend our communities,” he said.

According to him, the bulk of the challenges the region faces was the failure to meet the socioeconomic expectations of the people, adding that the governors would not neglect the message of the people through their votes in March 2023.

In his speech, the chairman of the occasion, General Aliyu Muhammad Gusau (rtd), praised the state government for establishing the Community Protection Guards (CPG).