Residents of Kaduna State’s Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area have criticised Ahmed Yerima, the former governor of Zamfara State, for suggesting that the federal government consider providing amnesty to bandits terrorising states in the region’s north-west.
Under the auspices of Birnin-Gwari Emirate Progressives’ Union, the locals urged President Bola Tinubu to disregard the ex-governor’s request and instead seek foreign assistance in resolving Nigeria’s security issues.
According to Premium Politics, Yerima met with the President on Monday in Abuja and urged him to deal with “repentant” bandits and consider offering them amnesty, as the late President Umaru Yar’Adua did for the Niger Delta insurgents.
However, the BEPU criticised Yerima’s proposal, claiming that engaging in negotiations with bandits would amount to endorsing illegal elements in the nation, in a statement released on Tuesday by its chairman, Ishaq Kasai.
Kasai said, “Engaging in negotiations with bandits will never yield significant positive outcomes because past experiences have demonstrated that criminal elements, such as bandits, often exploit negotiations as a means to buy time, regroup, and strengthen their positions.
“They view negotiations as a sign of weakness on the part of government, which emboldens them to continue their violent activities.”
They claimed that their earlier experiences had taught them that negotiating with bandits was fruitless.
“Therefore, we want to draw the attention of Mr President to the fact that, going for such negotiation will bring a setback and distraction in his administration’s perceived determination to bring lasting solution to the insecurity situation bedeviling Nigeria,” he added.
