A leader of Arewa Community Living in Southern Nigeria, Musa Saidu, has backed President Bola Tinubu’s refusal to negotiate with terrorists or pay ransom to them.

He said that the President’s position was apt and a good step towards finding a lasting solution to the problem.

Mr Saidu, who said this during an interview on Wednesday in Abuja, encouraged the Federal Government not to waiver in tracking and eliminating the terrorists and their sponsors.

“Although banditry remains the most prevalent threat to Nigeria’s national security, paying ransom to the criminals would only embolden them to commit more atrocities. The bandits are sponsored by some unpatriotic politicians with the support of some unpatriotic security agents to destroy our society, it will be a failure on the side of the government if it listens to the criminals. For the government to pay ransom means it is empowering the bandits to buy more weapons for their criminal activities,’’ he said.

The community leader advised states affected by banditry to mobilise and empower local vigilantes to protect their communities and assist security agencies during operations.

“State governments should buy more weapons for their vigilance groups and train them in intelligence gathering,” Mr Saidu added.

He also suggested the recruitment of more soldiers and policemen to meet the security needs of the country.

“We can’t surrender our communities to those killing, kidnapping, raping, looting and displacing our people. The bandits and terrorists must be eliminated,” he said.

He dismissed as baseless, recent calls by a cleric, Sheik Ahmed Gumi for the government to negotiate with the bandits.

Mr Saidu urged Nigerians to support the government and the security forces in the fight against terrorism and all forms of criminality to make the country safer.
(NAN)