Allegation aircraft drops arms for gold in Zamfara is failure of security agencies, NAMA – Group

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A group under the aegis of Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development (PAPSD) has said the pronouncement by the Federal Government that bandits bring in arms into Zamfara State in exchange for gold through some unidentified aircraft has once again shown that the nation’s intelligence is porous and inactive.

It said this also has brought to the fore the inefficiency in the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) the agency of government that is saddled with the responsibility of managing the nation’s airspace.

A statement signed on Saturday in Abuja by the Executive Director, PAPSD, Dr. Sani Abdulahi Shinkafi explained that NAMA is the agency of the Federal Government that has the responsibility to monitor and give clearance to every aircraft that comes in or goes out of this country, adding that for anybody to say that planes come into Zamfara State to drop arms and carry out gold from the state without the tacit cooperation of the NAMA and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) the person is being economical with the truth.

“It is a known fact that without the approval of NAMA no aircraft can enter the Nigerian airspace neither can any aircraft have the clearance to land anywhere in the country.

“So for the Federal Government to accept hook line and sinker the lie that unidentified aircraft brings in arms into Zamfara State and take out gold from the state is hogwash,” he said.

Shinkafi pointed out that some desperate politicians in collaboration with powerful political appointees in Abuja are employing the use of intimidation, mischief-making, and blackmail all in the bid to remove Governor Mattawalle and make the state ungovernable.

The group alleged that the desperate politicians go to the extent of circulating a fake video clip of an aircraft which from our investigation is a Hawker Siddley 125 business jet that landed on a very rough strip in Guatemala on January 27, 2020, that was used for a very shady world of drug-running alluding same to the plane being used to supply arms to armed bandits and carry gold out of Zamfara State.

According to him, the video clip which has been trending on social media is being used to blackmail the governor’s efforts to restore the security of lives and properties through his peace initiative accord with armed bandits in the State.

Shinkafi said: “The revelation by the National Security Council (NSC) has exposed the failure of the nation’s intelligence on the part of Nigeria’s security architecture. If any unauthorized aircraft was getting access into an area, it is the failure of intelligence not the failure of aviation. When there is a problem, it is the job of the national intelligence to inform the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency or the Nigerian Airforce.

“From what is happening it shows glaringly that there is lack of inter-agency collaboration, cohesion, and synergy among the nation’s security apparatuses. Because if there is credible intelligence it ought to have been shared among the security agencies and not to have gone ahead to issue a no-fly zone without credible intelligence reports.”

He continued: “Prеnѕа Lіbrе Guаtеmаlа rероrtеd thаt Guаtеmаlаn аrmу оffісіаlѕ dіѕсоvеrеd а nаrсо-јеt, twо vеhісlеѕ thаt trаnѕроrtеd thе drugѕ аnd fіrеаrmѕ іn Реtеn. According to tо thе rероrtѕ, thе аrmу fоund 16 расkаgеѕ оf ѕuѕресtеd сосаіnе іn thе bасk оf а рісkuр truсk іn Ѕаn Аndrеѕ, Реtеn. Аuthоrіtіеѕ іn Реtеn аlѕо fоund аn АК-47 іnѕіdе thе vеhісlе.

“Ѕеvеrаl rеѕіdеntѕ оf Duсkrun 3 іn Веlіzе tоld ВВN thаt ѕhоrtlу bеfоrе 11 lаѕt nіght, thеу hеаrd а lоw flуіng аіrсrаft іn thеіr соmmunіtу. Тhе соmmunіtу іѕ lосаtеd ѕоmе 8 mіlеѕ аwау frоm thе Веlіzе-Guаtеmаlа bоrdеr. Recently, thеrе hаѕ bееn аn аlаrmіng іnсrеаѕе іn сlаndеѕtіnе lаndіngѕ оf ѕuѕресtеd drug аіrсrаftѕ іn Guаtеmаlа, Веlіzе аnd Мехісо wіth nо mајоr еffоrt bу аuthоrіtіеѕ tо сrасk dоwn оn knоwn rurаl lаndіng lосаtіоnѕ.