Vice-President Kashim Shettima on Sunday sought the support of Nigerians for the federal government’s soon-to-be unveiled solution to the raging terrorists and bandits’ attacks in North West region, saying that military solution is no panacea to the crisis ravaging the area.
The North West region has been battling with increased banditry and terrorism in which hundreds of lives have been killed and tens of thousands displaced. Many stakeholders are already advocating for a different approach to the government’s military strategy to the crisis.
Four days ago, Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, told Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, that Governors of North West region should stop interfering with military operations and give troops free hand to eliminate all the terrorists and bandits unleashing violence, killings and kidnappings in the area.
Kicking against amnesty programme for bandits and terrorists in the region, General Lagbaja said that rather than repent, beneficiaries of such amnesty programmes see the programme as an avenue to regroup and attack innocent citizens.
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.”
But speaking in Kano on Sunday, Vice President Shettima countered the Chief of Army Staff, saying that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is determined to redefine the meaning and concept of modern governance.
Stating that there cannot be a military solution to the crisis in the North West, Shettima said: “The crisis we have in the North West, further accentuated by poverty and social exclusion is something the president is determined to frontally confront and in the coming weeks, he is going to unveil the solution.
“Unless we want to engage in an endless war of attrition, there cannot be a military solution to the crisis in the North-West There has to be a kinetic and non-kinetic solution. And President Bola Tinubu in the next couple of weeks will unveil the Pulaku solution which will address the grievances and social exclusion of our Fulbe cousins in the Northwest; towards addressing the root causes of all the banditry and insurgency in the nation.”
The VP, who was in Kano on a condolence visit to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero over the death of Malam Imam Galadanci, an in-law to the Sultan of Sokoto and also to the Emir of Bichi, Nasiru Ado Bayero, was received and led to the Emir’s palace by Kano state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
At the Emir Palace, the Emir of Kano appreciated President Tinubu and the VP and expressed optimism that both of them would come up with policies and actions that will further engender development of the country.