The Nigerian Army has ruled out amnesty again for bandits terrorising the North West zone of the country, asking governors in the region to stop interfering and allow the military the free hand to eliminate terrorists.
Warning all terrorists, bandits and other criminals to flee the country with immediate effect, the Army said they would be given close marking and blocked from entering other parts of the country if they are attempt to flee North West.
Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, who spoke at Nigerian Army Headquarters, Abuja while playing host to Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, called on the Governors of the region to give troops free hand to eliminate all the criminal elements.
According to General Lagbaja: “Your Excellency, I think we need to look at this amnesty programme. The criminal elements have proven to be incorrigible. So, the issue of amnesty has created avenue for them to be regroup and re-organise and launch attacks.”
Lagbaja made the comments against the backdrop of recent call by former Governor of Zamfara State, Sani Yerima Bakura, that bandits should be given amnesty.
Yerima, who asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to negotiate with terror gangs operating in Zamfara State and other parts of the Northwest of the country, also said the negotiation he was advocating was similar to what the administration of former President Umar Yar’Adua did with militants in the Niger Delta, which gave birth to the amnesty programme.