Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has described attacks by bandits as war and said that the criminals should be wiped out.
The governor spoke when he featured on Sunday Politics, saying there is no civilised society that sits back when its sovereignty is being challenged by activities of criminal elements.
The governor, who vowed never to negotiate with bandits explained that
necessary actions were being taken to rescue abducted students from Kaduna State recently by bandits.
Asked how the students will be rescued since he would not negotiate with bandits he said, “The only option any civilised society has when its faced with criminality is to apply the full rage of the law. There is no civilised society that sits back when its sovereignty is challenged, when the monopoly of its coercive power is challenged.
“The first thing to do is to wipe out these bandits. This is war. We must fight them to the end. We must wipe them out, that is the first order of business. When you wipe out 95 per cent of them, if the five per cent are ready to repent and then go back to normal civilian life, then you can talk. You don’t talk to criminals the moment they start, you wipe them out significantly. There is no other option.”
Reiterating that there is no society that sits and negotiates with criminals anywhere in the world, the governor said that by doing so you are “empowering them, embolden them and other criminals will think if I threaten the Nigerian state enough it will give me amnesty, money even though I have killed people, kidnapped people and have destroyed lives and livelihood.”
He added, “Sometimes they even collect ransom and they still kill their victims. I really don’t understand the people that say money should be given to these criminals.”
Insisting that the only option remained to wipe them out he said, “that is the only logical and sensible, all other options are irrational, emotional and stupid because you are empowering your enemy.
“Maybe, you get your own son kidnapped, but you are endearing other sons because the kidnapper you paid will now have more money to kidnap even more.”
El-Rufai also said that the solution to the security problem “is partly state police.”
He also said, “Nigerian Army and security agencies, as an immediate step, need to acquire advanced weaponry to combat insecurity.”
According to the governor, “Bandits and kidnappers are targeting Kaduna State because we refused to give them money and negotiate with them.”
He added, “They are terrorists… Money from kidnapping is used in funding Boko Haram.”