Insecurity: Negotiating With Bandits Is Not The Best — Abdulsalami

Former Head of State, Retired General Abdusalami Abubakar says negotiating with terrorists and bandits is not the best way to tackle the menace.

Speaking on Tuesday after a meeting with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum in Minna, the former president stated that the best way to solve Nigeria’s banditry and kidnapping issues is to first make sure that the crimes are not committed.

While admitting that sometimes negotiations might be used to save the lives of kidnap victims, General Abdulsalami said the nation needs tight security that can checkmate the miscreants before they strike.

Making a reference to the Kagara abduction, Abdulsalami noted that “even if anyone knows where the students are, it will be foolhardy to storm the place in a bid to fight and bring them back”, arguing that in the process some innocent lives will be lost.

He, however, urged the authorities to ensure that security is beefed up to forestall further occurrences.

According to him, the nation’s security architecture is overstretched and the Police Force is underpopulated, hence the need for support from the citizens and an increase in manpower.

General Abdulsalami appealed that all hands must be on deck to ensure that insecurity in the country is tackled appropriately. He was of the opinion that the nation must go back to the time when brotherly love existed.

“Let us go back to when we were our brothers’ keeper,” Abdulsalami pleaded.

The elder statesman said it is sad that citizens are now being seen as strangers and are looked at with suspicion when they leave their states of origin and visit other parts of the country.

In a similar vein, former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida says the security threats faced by Nigeria at this time, can be dealt with.

In an interview on Tuesday, General Babangida stated that the nation can overcome its security issues if those in the position of authority plan appropriately.

He said quashing the threats posed by kidnappers, bandits, and the insurgents require a lot of planning, adding that it is not a short-term plan.

General IBB said he has obtained information suggesting that security agencies are working together to map out new strategies on how to deal with the situation.

The former president while stating that he is concerned about the situation in the country, urged the government and the citizenry to join forces to overcome the problem.