Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, has said negotiating with bandits is a wrong strategy that could worsen insecurity in the country.
Ganduje stated this on Tuesday at a press conference while reacting to comments by the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, Rabiu Kwankwaso, that he and the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, would negotiate with terrorists if elected in 2027.
The former Kano State governor said negotiations with bandits would provide them with more resources to acquire weapons and intensify attacks.
He said, “The issue of sitting with bandits to negotiate with them personally, I don’t appreciate that.
“How do you expect hundreds of bandits to come from the forests with their guns to sit down with local chiefs, chairmen of local governments, traditional rulers, or even the police and start negotiating?
“I think that system has failed, and it will continue to fail.”
Ganduje added that paying bandits and providing them with logistics would create an enabling environment for them to operate.
He said such negotiations would allow the criminals to enrich themselves through kidnapping and use the proceeds to purchase more weapons.
“I don’t think that is a good strategy,” he added.
