The Minister of State for Defense, Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has refuted claims about the presence of Lakurawa militants in the Northwest region of Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists at his residence in Gusau on Sunday, the former Governor of Zamfara State declared that military troops have successfully neutralized terrorist groups, destroyed their camps, and recovered arms and ammunition in the region.
“We have finished with them in the Northwest zone. Anybody talking about Lakurawa militants is doing so to tarnish the image of the Federal Government and security agencies,” Matawalle stated.
The minister further explained that the criminals previously operating in the area were not Nigerians but disgruntled elements from Burkina Faso and Mali who entered the country to cause chaos.
Matawalle criticized the spread of misinformation, attributing the rumors of militant activity to those seeking to create fear among citizens and discredit the government.
“The military troops are killing the bandits’ kingpins and their foot soldiers on a daily basis. But the social media operators are not reporting this,” he said.
“We are aware that locals are giving journalists wrong information about the bandits’ activities in the state to discredit the present administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. But we will not succumb to their threats. The Tinubu administration is very much ready to wipe out all the bandits in the Northwest zone before the end of 2025.”
Matawalle reassured Nigerians of the Federal Government’s commitment to eradicating banditry, emphasizing that security of lives and property remains a top priority for President Tinubu’s administration.
“The battle against banditry is still on, and we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. There is no going back on the arrangement to neutralize all the bandits by 2025,” he added.
He urged citizens to disregard false reports spread by what he called “enemies of peace and progress” and called for cooperation with security agencies to achieve lasting peace in the region.
