Insecurity: CSO petitions US, UK, seeks travel ban on Zamfara governor
A civil society organisation, Concerned Citizens of Nigeria, CCN, has petitioned the United States, US, and United Kingdom, UK, governments, demanding a travel ban on Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State over his inability to end terrorism amd banditry in the state.
CCN expressed concern that, despite the information the governor boasts he has on the location and activities of bandits and terrorists in his state, he has failed to act towards putting an end to the bloodshed in the state.
The petitions were dated September 16, 2025, and signed by Dr. Emmanuel Agabi, Executive Secretary of CCN.
In the petition, the CSO alleged that failure to act and stop the unending bloodshed means Governor Lawal is incapable to lead the state and should therefore resign.
The group, in the same vein, demanded the freezing of all assets traceable to the governor in the US and UK.
Parts of the petition read, “If he (Governor Lawal) has an lota of shame in him and he is truly powerless as he claims, then honor should have compelled him to resign. Of what relevance is a leader whose performance is defined by absolute incompetence?
“Your Excellency, it is understood that the moral universe demands consistency for continuity. It is in good record that the United States has repeatedly sanctioned and ostracized leaders known to be complicit in terror across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Not acting on Dauda Lawal would send a message around the world that the lives of Nigeria citizens are cheaper, and that their suffering is also negotiable.
“We therefore humbly but firmly request that the United States Government, acting through your distinguished mission, declare Governor Dauda Lawal persona non grata. We urge that such designation extend beyond a symbolic and regular travel ban, but include: Denying him entry into the United States, and freezing of every assets that are traceable to him or his associates within American jurisdictions.”
CCN equally called on the European Union and the Commonwealth to extend similar sanctions on the Zamfara governor, noting that such action would be seen as a public affirmation that democratic societies will not harbor leaders who are known to collude, or have affiliation, with terrorists.
The CSO argued that the recommended sanctions are not an interference in Nigeria’s sovereignty but merely the United States just exercising its sovereign right to determine who is welcome within its borders.
“Your Excellency, silence in this matter would be complicity. It would suggest that America, the land of liberty, can overlook confessions of collusion with murderers. It would embolden other leaders to treat terrorism as a bargaining chip in political machinations.
“Your Excellency, the case of Governor Dauda Lawal is not one that is fabricated by adversaries, nor circumstantial. This case against him is his own voice, his loud confession, and his own testimony to Nigerians. He knows where the bandits are, he knows their leaders. He knows their families. He can locate them with his phone. Yet, he refused to act while lives keep wasting. This is a perfect definition of what Complicity is. This is nothing short of absurdity from a supposed leader. This is an open admittance of guilt. His confession is a crime against humanity.
“Your Excellency, for the widows of Zamfara, for the orphans currently scattered throughout refugee camps, for the moral integrity of the United States, and for the honor of democracy, | urge you to act. Let Dauda Lawal be declared persona non grata. Let the free world shut its doors on him. Let his name stand as a warning and a lesson to many individual that may want to follow suit,” the petition added.
