Former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, has emphasized that engaging in dialogue with bandits is the solution to the prevailing insecurity in the North Western region.
Yarima, while speaking during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, (BBC) Hausa service yesterday, said that if the bandits are treated similarly to how former militants in the Niger Delta were handled, the banditry issue could be resolved.
His words: “I’m advising the government to, first of all, find time to sit with these bandits, just like they sat with Niger Delta militants in the past because the majority of them are Nigerians, even though there are some foreigners among them.
“But Nigerians among them can be convinced, as the Niger Delta militants were convinced and empowered to stop. If that fails, the government can use force on them wherever they are”.
Senator Yarima highlighted that previous dialogues with the bandits by other state governors were not conducted in good faith. He said he monitored the previous dialogues and discovered that most promises made to the bandits were not fulfilled.
The senator lamented that poverty and ignorance are responsible for most of the crises and problems in the country, emphasizing the need for leaders to find solutions to these issues.
He further criticised political leaders who, instead of addressing people’s problems, choose to embezzle billions from the public coffers for their own benefit.
He, however, appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience with the new government led by President Bola Tinubu, assuring them that positive changes would be witnessed before the end of his tenure.
