Need To Dislodge Bandits’ Networks

Jihadist terrorism, banditry and kidnapping have become parts of the daily experience of Nigerians. These violent crimes which directly target the citizens and their communities, have gradually become mainstreamed in many parts of the country, while governments, which should be all-out against them either crave their indulgence through “negotiations” or bark like toothless dogs.

In the North-East, Boko Haram, which started as a ragtag band of armed radical Islamist outlaws was politicised and used to oust the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Boko Haram claimed thousands of lives, destroyed hundreds of communities and displaced over two million. Sixteen years after its upsurge, it shows no sign of being eradicated, despite the hundreds of lives of our troops and trillions of naira spent to fight it.

Some evil politicians also imported armed foreign criminals into the North-West, for the same purpose of removing Jonathan from power. They quickly proliferated into disparate groups of bandits, abducting schoolchildren, attacking communities, kidnapping for ransom, rustling cattle and displacing people.

This phenomenon, which took root during the administration of the late Muhammadu Buhari, has taken over the North-West and North- Central. Last week, media reports had it that some misguided elements in a particular part of Kogi State have voluntarily made themselves available to service bandit networks.

The State Security Adviser, Jerry Omadara, in a progress report, revealed that some youths in a particular part of the State, now convey food, fuel and weapons to bandits in the forests. They provide them vital information.

“The bandits have got our women selling soft drinks, bread and other food items…the women of these bandits brought ammunition from the far North and give our youths peanuts to convey the ammunition to their men in the bush…” Some people have now resorted to paying the bandits protection money to save themselves from being kidnapped. This is unacceptable!

This was how banditry took over the North-West, especially Katsina, Sokoto, Zamfara and Niger States. Till today, some Northern leaders shamelessly and openly advocate for “dialogue” or “negotiation” with the bandits which only enriches them to buy more weapons. The display of weakness and cowardice by governments and leaders emboldens the bandits and worsens the situation of insecurity.

This must stop. The Federal and State governments have the mandate and means to stop this nonsense but the courage and political will is lacking. The summary defeat of this kind of criminality by former Governor Theodore Orji in the Ngwa area of Abia State in December 2010 with the help of a joint military task force, remains the best example to emulate in dealing with bandits and criminals.

The police, military and security forces must identify and destroy the criminals’ support systems within our communities, starve and systematically eliminate them.

Government must act now!