UK Worries Over Insecurity in Zamfara, Promises Support

Mr Sam Weldock, Head of Governance, Conflict and Social Development at the British High Commission, Abuja, has assured the Zamfara government of his country’s support in tackling its security challenges. Weldock made the pledge when he led a high-powered delegation on a high-level security meeting with Gov. Bello Matawalle in Gusau, on Wednesday.

He explained that the UK government was worried about the security challenges facing the state and that his country would support Zamfara to overcome most of those concerns. The envoy said the team was in Zamfara for first hand information and that they would extend more security support to the state and other states in the North-West of the country, in order to return peace and tranquility to the region.

Earlier, Matawalle, thanked the envoy for the visit and appealed to the UK government to support his administration’s efforts at ending banditry and other criminal activities in the state. The governor, who urged the UK to also sustain its cooperation with the Federal Government and other state governments in the fight against insurgency and other security breaches in the country, briefed the delegation on the success of his carrot and stick approach, using peace and dialogue to contain banditry in the state.

He explained that the security challenges he inherited had posed a great threat to achieving his administration’s development desires, saying that the spate of insecurity had virtually affected socio- economic activities in the state. Matawalle expressed gratitude over the relative peace brought by his administration, saying that President Muhammadu Buhari’s ‘shoot on sight” order on anyone found in illegal possession of firearms would also help in further bringing sanity to the area.

Supreme reports that Weldock was accompanied by Sophie Stevens, the Conflict Adviser from the British High Commission and Alice Gore. The meeting was attended a team comprising the Zamfara Head of Service, Alhaji Kabiru Balarabe, Permanent Secretaries of Finance, Alhaji Kabiru Gayari, Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Garba Dauran, Office of the Executive Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Barmo, and Malam Lawal Maradun, Principal Private Secretary to the Governor, among others.