A former director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr. Mike Ejiofor, has lashed out at the governors of Katsina and Zamfara states, Messrs Aminu Masari and Bello Matawalle for giving bandits the legitimacy to operate by negotiating with them.
Ejiofor stated this while featuring as guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme yesterday.
He spoke in the light of the December 11 abduction of over 300 children boys from the all-boys Government Science Secondary School (GSSS), Kankara in Katsina State by bandits.
The 344 children were released late yesterday by the Nigerian security agencies in a forest in Zamfara State where they were kept for almost one week.
release was done with the cooperation of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN).
“The state governments –both Zamfara and Katsina States –mistakenly laid the foundation for what is going on now; they started negotiation with the bandits who were not even ready to give up on their activities and this is what we are witnessing now.
“Even this Kankara incident, the governor came out to say they are negotiating, that is unacceptable. And you give these people the boldness and courage to continue to perpetrate this act,” Ejiofor said.
The former DSS director argued that the best practice all over the world is not to negotiate with bandits but to strengthen the security apparatus and crush the criminals.
“I am not a pessimist but these things will continue to happen unless we strengthen the security of these states and take decisive actions,” he said.
He urged the federal government to take decisive actions against the bandits operating in the northwest.
“These well-organised bandits are looking for money. Anytime they do such kidnap, they are paid, and they use such money to buy more arms.
“This definitely is not the work of Boko Haram but the work of bandits in the two states.
“It is sad that they were moved from Kankara to Zamfara undetected by any security operative,”
Ejiofor urged the security operatives to debrief the students before handing them back to their parents.
