Negotiating With Bandits Will Encourage Kidnapping – Experts

Security experts have called on the Federal Government to take decisive actions against bandits terrorising residents in the North West and other parts of the country, rather than negotiate with the criminals. They said negotiating with bandits would encourage them to continue to carry out attacks, including Kidnapping more school children. They also lamented that the bandits had been treated with kid gloves, despite the spate of killings and the abduction of unsuspecting Nigerians including school children. A former director of the Department of State Services, Mr Mike Ejiofor, said the government had not shown the political will to deal decisively with the bandits. “What i am saying is that the government, especially the state governments in the North West, has been treating these people (bandits) with kid gloves. As long as they continue to deal with them, negotiating, it will encourage them to carry out more kidnappings. So we are most likely going to witness more Kidnapping of school children.

On his part, a security consultant and fellow, Institute of Security, Mr Chigozie Ubani, urged the Federal Government to deal with the bandits according to the Constitution. “What the government should do is to deal decisively with bandits, insurgents, militants or whatever name they want to run by, according to the statutes. There are laws guiding this country, so they should deal with these people according to the laws of the land.” He also called on the government to develop and exhibit the capacity to deal with criminals to serve as deterrent to others. Meanwhile the Northern Elders Forum has asked governors to treat unrepentant bandits as criminals, expressing concern over the spate of insecurity in the country. The forum said it regretted that governors had been left to quarrel over causes and strategies while expressing shock at the spate of the Kidnapping of school children in the North.