Negotiating With Bandits Is An Acceptance Of Failure, Says Federal Lawmaker

The Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Mr Adejoro Adeogun, has faulted the Katsina State Government for granting amnesty to bandits in the state.

Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari had on August 1, 2019 granted amnesty to cattle rustlers and armed bandits have been granted amnesty as part of measures to restore peace in the state.

But Adeogun, who was a guest during Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, said granting amnesty to bandits or negotiating with them is an acceptance of failure.

“Negotiating with bandits or thinking of amnesty for bandits is actually an acceptance of failure. It is a vote of no confidence on the capability of the security forces that we actually have to sit down with criminals to negotiate,” he said.

“Then that is the situation we have found ourselves and I think the governor of Katsina State was helpless and he took that measure.

“It has failed; it is not going to work. When you are offering amnesty, you offer amnesty to someone who has been defeated not someone who is saying I want to fight to die. I think we are adopting the wrong procedure.”

On the way forward, the lawmaker who represents Akoko South East/South West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives asked the Federal Government to build the capacity of the nation’s armed forces to effectively tackle insecurity in the country.

His remarks come two days after gunmen invaded Government Science Secondary School in Ƙanƙara Local Government Area of Katsina State, causing students, teachers, and staff members to flee for their lives.

Following the unfortunate incident on Friday night, Governor Masari confirmed that three hundred and thirty-three students were still missing.

The governor gave the figure when he received a Federal Government delegation led by the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno on Sunday.

The governor who explained that the school has a population of 839 students said so far, those kidnapped cut across the state with the boarding school housing all children from all parts of the state and outside the state.

“Based on the available record we have, we are still searching for 333 students through either the forest or their parents to ascertain the actual number that has been kidnapped,” Governor Masari said.

“We are still counting because more are coming out from the forest and we are calling through the numbers those parents that have phone numbers to find out whether or not their children have gone back home.

“We as a government we are yet to be contacted by any group or person responsible for the kidnap of the students.”