We Won’t Shut the Door Against Repentant Bandits, Says FG
- The Buhari administration says it will consider amnesty for armed bandits if they choose to lay down their arms
- This comment was made by Muhammad Dingyadi, the police affairs minister in the current government
- The minister noted that the bandits will be reintegrated peacefully into society if they decide to stop their criminal activities
FCT, Abuja - The federal government says it will not shut the door against repentant bandits because they are still Nigerians.
Minister of police affairs, Muhammad Dingyadi, stated this when he appeared on a Channels Television programme, on Tuesday night, September 14.
Source: Getty Images
Dingyadi said the window is still open for bandits to surrender and be reintegrated into the larger society.
He added that as Nigerian citizens, the federal government has a responsibility to reintegrate the bandits peacefully into the society if they show remorse for their actions.
Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through info@corp.legit.ng!
His words:
“When you talk of amnesty, it is a relative term and what the federal government is trying to say is that let us see those who have surrendered their arms, let us listen to them, let us chronicle them, let us receive them, we cannot just throw these people away because they are all Nigerians.
“Of course, they are criminals, they have committed atrocities, they have committed crimes, but according to the international laws, when you surrender from a war zone, you are not killed, you are allowed to have your say.
“We are listening to them to see how we can integrate them into the larger society.”
Nasarawa take steps to prevent the incursion of bandits
In Nasarawa, the state government says it has taken proactive moves to bar fleeing bandits currently being dislodged in the northwest, from infiltrating its domain.
Daily Trust newspaper reports that Governor Abdullahi Sule said this when he summoned a security meeting held at the Government House, Lafia on Tuesday, September 14.
The governor expressed concerns that fleeing bandits may seek refuge in mostly inaccessible parts of the state.
Many killed as fleeing bandits run into Military camp in Niger
Legit.ng had earlier reported that scores of armed bandits fleeing the ongoing military operation in Zamfara and Katsina states were killed by soldiers at Maganda village near Allawa in Shiroro local government area of Niger state.
The bandits were trying to escape through Alawa thick forest on Friday, September 10, when they ran into the military camp stationed in the area.
A gun battle ensued and after several hours, the security operatives came out victorious.
How to end banditry in the north
Meanwhile, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, an Islamic cleric, has suggested that the federal government can resolve the issue of banditry in the north.
Gumi stated that the government should begin by establishing a federal ministry of nomadic affairs.
According to him, the ministry should focus on addressing grievances and complaints from herders, and also take care of repentant insurgents.
Source: Legit.ng
