It’ll be counterproductive for FG to dialogue with bandits, says former AIG

Ambrose Aisabor, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, has urged the Federal Government to ignore calls for negotiation with bandits, saying that it would not lead to the desired results.

The former senior police officer’s appeal came against the backdrop of erstwhile Zamfara Governor, Sani Yerima’s comment that President Bola Tinubu should dialogue with bandits as late former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua did with Niger Delta militants.

Aisabor, who spoke with journalists in Benin City, said that negotiating with bandits would give the impression that the nation’s armed forces are overwhelmed and do not have the capacity to deal with the bandits.

He, therefore, urged the Tinubu-led government to intensify security measures and information gathering in the fight against insecurity, pointing out that “If they go for negotiation, other groups are likely to spring up”.

“When Yerima visited Mr president, he intimated him on the need to negotiate with the bandits operating in Nigeria, especially in the North West zone of the country with the aim of granting amnesty to the repentant ones.

“Yerima compared the situation in the Niger Delta to that of the bandits. There is no basis for comparison because militants in the Niger Delta agitated for a better deal for their region because of environmental degradation as a result of oil exploration and exploitation in the region.

“During the militant period, they never killed nor kidnapped their people for ransom but the bandits killed and also kidnapped for ransom in the North West. The bandits, till date, have not come out to tell Nigerians their grievances.

“They continuously raid, kill and kidnap their victims for ransom. They even prevent the people from going to their farms without paying levies. Former governor of Katsina state negotiated with bandits but nothing came out of it as the bandits increased their activities. So, it would be counterproductive for the federal government to negotiate with bandits at this stage.