I joined the banditry because my parents, wives and children died – a repentant bandit (photo)

The repentant gunman confessed why he joined an armed group, terrorizing and killing innocent Nigerians.

Amadou Qatar is one of the repentant bandits who delivered their AK47 assault rifles and ammunition yesterday to the Government House in Zamfara.

He said that he was forced to become a bandit because of the extrajudicial killing of his parents, wives and children by local vigilantes.

Qatar spoke about this when she handed over her weapons to the state government at the State House Hall in Gusau, the capital of Zamfara state.

The repentant bandit noted that there were many people who turned to famous bandits because of the extrajudicial executions of their relatives.

“Since the arrival of Bello Governor Mohamed Matavalla and the emergence of his peace movement, we have been following the developments to see if this was another hoax, studied the movement and decided to cease fire,” he said.

Therefore, Qatar appealed to the federal and state governments to always protect the Fulani people, stating that the Fulani people are being killed daily.

“I am asking the state government to ensure justice and the only way to restore peace is to refrain from treating the Fulani people as third-class citizens.”

Outlawed Yansakai members have increased the level of gang activity in the state, he said, indicating that Yansakai members continue to attack the Fulani people for no reason.

“There will never be peace in any society if injustice prevails,” he said.

Qatar said that everyone believes the Fulani are the only people responsible for the banditry in the state, stating that the Yansakai members are the main problem, not the Fulani, as is commonly believed.

However, he gave assurances that his group would recruit other Fulani thugs to make sure they would support the ongoing peace agreement and reconciliation process.

In response to this question, Bello Governor Mohammed Matavalle said disarmament would reduce the free movement of weapons and ammunition to a minimum in the state in particular and in the country as a whole.