The no-fly zone in Zamfara

In a renewed attempt to address the lingering security challenges in the country, the federal government, last week declared Zamfara State a No-Fly Zone’ (NFZ) to halt the swap of gold for arms by armed bandits, other criminals and illegal gold miners in the state. The government also banned gold mining in the state, though […]

In a renewed attempt to address the lingering security challenges in the country, the federal government, last week declared Zamfara State a No-Fly Zone’ (NFZ) to halt the swap of gold for arms by armed bandits, other criminals and illegal gold miners in the state. The government also banned gold mining in the state, though this is not the first time such a ban would be placed on illegal mining. The government had, on April 7, 2019, through the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announced a total ban on mining activities in Zamfara State and its environs. IGP Adamu said the government noted a correlation between bandits and illegal miners. For some time now, Zamfara State had been a den for kidnappers. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands kidnapped; the latest being the students of Government Girls’ Junior Secondary School, Jangebe.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Major-General Babagana Monguno (retd), on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, announced President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to declare Zamfara as a no-fly zone.  He made the announcement after a quarterly meeting of the National Security Council (NSC), presided over by President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

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NFZ or air exclusion zone (AEZ) is a territory or area established by a military power, over which certain aircraft are not permitted to fly. An aircraft that violates a no-fly zone may be shot down by the enforcing state, depending on the terms of the NFZ. Analysts say helicopters could be used to bring in arms or ferry out precious stones. Helicopters do not need a helipad or airport to land.

Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, said there were strong suspicions that gold was being swapped for arms by criminal elements operating in the state.

He said, “The Nigerian gold market is a big business and the government wants to do two things at the same time: end banditry and economic sabotage through the smuggling of gold.”

Shehu also said a big market in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is called ‘Nigerian Gold Market,’ adding that the matter is a big franchise involving criminal Nigerian businessmen and their foreign collaborators.

To boost its fight against banditry, the federal government yesterday deployed 6,000 troops to the state, with an ultimatum to end the crisis within two months.

Reacting to the NSC’s decision to ban mining, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State said the decision might not be from an informed perspective. He said this when he hosted the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, who, alongside Governor Atiku Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi and the deputy governor of Sokoto State, paid him a sympathy visit over the release of Jangebe schoolgirls.

“Nigerians are waiting to see the outcome of the security council resolution and see if these bandits would be crushed. If the federal government fails to crush them after this resolution, then Nigerians will understand that they only sat and served themselves tea, nothing more,” Matawalle said.

These public comments by Governor Matawalle sound counterproductive to the measures announced by the federal government to tackle security challenges in that part of the country. Matawalle’s remarks, which many consider being in defence of the bandits could further embolden criminal elements. It is better that national security matters are not politicised. As suggested by some groups, including the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Governor Matawalle is encouraged to reveal the identities of kidnappers terrorising the country to assist the federal government in tackling the crisis. To see the end of banditry and other criminal activities, state governors need to cooperate with and support the federal government on strategic security measures. The fight also needs the buy-in of traditional rulers to succeed. They should engage their subjects on the need to shun crime and report criminals amongst them.

We urge the government to fully enforce all the bans recently announced. Only the 10 indigenous mining companies licensed by the federal government should be seen to work on the gold mines in Zamfara.

While we call on intelligence outfits of security agencies to unravel perpetrators, the government must decisively go for the sponsors of banditry and kidnapping.