Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the government’s alleged negotiations with bandits.
Speaking via a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku warned that such a move often favours bandits more than their victims.
Atiku argued that bandits often renege on the peace terms agreed with the government.
He insisted that it is difficult to deter bandits from their nefarious acts when governors are on their knees begging bandits in the name of peace deals.
“Those peace deals always favour the bandits more than their victims, and they have always fooled the government’s negotiators.
“Nigerians are no longer impressed by the powerful language of condemnation by the government. They’re more interested in results than rhetoric.
“Experience has shown that if rhetoric were enough to deter the bandits, the menace would have ended a long time ago,” he said.
Naijaonpoint reports that the Katsina government is reportedly facilitating the release of 70 suspected bandits in custody, a move it described as essential to consolidating community-driven peace agreements with “repentant bandits” in several LGAs.
But the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain said the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration must be held accountable for its campaign promises to end insecurity in the country.
“Nigerians cannot be comforted by excuses. As a former opposition party, the APC held the then government in power to the harshest and merciless standards, and therefore, the Tinubu administration must be held to the same standards,” Abubakar said.