I’ve rescued over 2,000 kidnap victims — Matawalle

Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, has revealed that no fewer than 2,000 kidnapped Nigerians and foreign nationals have been rescued and over a thousand weapons recovered from bandits and members of vigilante operating in the state since he assumed office in May 2019.

He made this known while receiving members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by its Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, who paid him a condolence visit over the killing of eight persons in the convoy of the Emir of Kaura Namoda recently.

While maintaining that no ransom was paid in the rescuing of kidnapped victims in the state, he said logic and dialogue has always been deployed and President Muhammadu Buhari was adequately briefed on every security measure undertaken to secure lives and properties.

Matawalle said his resolve to support security agencies in the state win the war against insecurity was reason behind his decision to operate an open door policy with the agencies to enhance free flow of communication.

He said: “We have recovered a lot of dangerous weapons which was given to the security agencies of Nigeria and we have rescued about 2,000 kidnapped victims including some foreign nationals which include people from China, Korea, Niger Republic, Burkina Faso and even Central Africa who were kidnapped and taken to Zamfara State.

“All the recoveries that we have made from human lives and ammunition no ransom was paid because we use logic and diplomacy. All we are concerned with is to see our people go to sleep with their eyes closed and that is the responsibility of every government to provide security for the lives and properties of which we are doing.”  (New Telegraph)