No Amnesty For Bandits Army Chief Replies Yerima

Bandits and terrorists will capitalized on amnesty to regroup and attack Nigerians, the Chief of Army Staff, CoAS, Taoreed Laggbja has said, thus ruling out amnesty for criminals as being demanded by some prominent leaders in the Northern part of the country.

Lagbaja’s comment is not unconnected with the recent call for amnesty for bandits by a former Zamfara state governor, Sanni Yerima, according to those watching the polity.

On July 4, the former governor in an interview with BBC Hausa service said there was a need for the government to dialogue with the bandits.

Yerima said the government should adopt the carrot-and-stick approach used by the late President Umaru Yar’adua to make the Niger Delta militants lay down their arms.

“The best way to go about handling the issue of bandits is to introduce dialogue first. But as I said, if that fails, then the government will go all out to eliminate them,” he said.

According to him, “I believe that the Nigerian military has the capacity to deal with them (bandits) if so directed and given the resources, support, and political will.

“But the collateral damages that will be associated with the actions to be taken are what I believe should be avoided. If you send an aircraft now, not only bandits will be affected.

“Former President Umaru Yar’Adua had a similar interaction with the militants in the Niger Delta, and it was successful.”

But speaking to the Zamfara state governor, Dauda Lawal on Wednesday in his office, Lagbaja said dialogue with bandits has failed.

The CoAS said: “We also have the issue of the amnesty programme that has been instituted, and which has failed not only in Zamfara but in so many other states of the Northwest.

“So, I think we need to look at this issue of the amnesty programme because the criminal elements have proven to be incorrigible.

“The issue of amnesty has created an avenue for them to regroup and reorganise to launch attacks on our defenceless citizens. So I think we need to look at that.”

The COAS said he had ordered the deployment of more platforms and the release of funds to boost troops’ operations in the state.

Zamfara is one of the epicenters of banditry in Nigeria’s Northwest.

Just recently, the bandits were on the rampage killing over 80 persons in Zamfara and Sokoto states.