Former Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani has countered the suggestion of the former Zamfara Governor Senator Sani Yerima Bakura to President Bola Tinubu to dialogue with bandits terrorizing the country stating that such dialogue will be a waste of time.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa on Saturday, Senator Yerima suggested that if the bandits were treated like thenNiger Delta militants, their activities will have been constrained. He also stated that the previous dialogue contracted with governors where not done in good faith.
The Guardian quoted him saying, “I’m advising the government to, first of all, find time to sit with these bandits, just like they sat with Niger Delta militants in the past, because a majority of them are Nigerians, even though there are some foreigners among them. But Nigerians among them can be convinced, as the Niger Delta militants were convinced, and empowered to stop. If that fails, then the government can use force on them wherever they are.”
This idea was countered by Senator Sani who stated that bandits do not have a unified ideology or movement but rather they extort through blackmail and cold-blooded murder in many cases.
“Dialogue with Bandits will not work because of these three reasons; they are not an armed movement founded for the pursuit of any religious, ethnic, or political causes, other than extortion by atrocious blackmail, abductions, and cold-blooded murder of innocent citizens. Two, they are not united under a single leadership but operate in clusters and criminal gangs; three, their motivation is money; they kill and abduct for money.
Bandits are unlike Iswap and Boko elements whose acts of abduction, terrorist attacks, and slaughter of innocent citizens are done under the guise of religion. Dialogue with Bandits is a waste of time. Those Governors who tried it later regretted it.”
While not dismissing poverty and ignorance, Senator Yerima disclosed that if duly supported, the security agencies can handle the insecurity bedeviling the country.
Between 2018 and 2023, thousands of deaths occurred in the North West region which resulted in many residents fleeing their homes and taking residence provided for internally displaced persons (IDPs).
