The Kaduna State Government has reiterated its stance not to negotiate
\nwith bandits and insisted that only total annihilation of the criminals
\nwould end banditry.<\/p>\n
The government was reacting to some commentators who blamed it for
\nasserting that the government would not reward hoodlums.<\/p>\n
The criticism of the government followed mass abduction of students and
\nthe killing of at least five of them recently.<\/p>\n
The commentators had also unearthed a video clip in which Gov. Nasir
\nEl-Rufai had berated President Goodluck Jonathan for not negotiating
\nwith the abductors of the Chibok school girls in 2014.<\/p>\n
The government reaction was contained in a statement issued by Muyiwa
\nAdekeye, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication,
\nissued in Kaduna on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
It explained that the stance of the El-Rufai over the 2014 kidnap of
\nChibok girls was based on the circumstances at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe years since 2014 may have led some people to forget the denial and
\ndoubt that defined the Federal Government\u2019s response to the Chibok
\nabductions, especially the initial refusal to acknowledge that it
\nhappened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the context under which civic pressures were brought on the
\ngovernment,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
It added that, \u201cNigeria\u2019s journey since the 2014 Chibok tragedy has
\nproven that the solution to violent crimes, including terrorism and
\nbanditry, is a robust response from the state and its coercive agencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe quantum of money paid as ransom following many negotiations with
\nbandits have not stopped kidnappings, reduced their frequency or
\ndeterred the criminals.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe experience of many states in the Northwest of Nigeria since 2015
\nhas included cattle rustling, kidnappings, killings and the devastation
\nof communities by criminals.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral states sought to negotiate their way out of the problems by
\ntalking to bandits, paying them money or offering them amnesty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has not worked and has only encouraged the criminals to press
\nahead for a surrender of the public treasury to them. That is clearly
\nnot in the public interest.<\/p>\n
\u201cMass abduction was like in novelty in 2014. But the facts have changed
\nsince then.<\/p>\n
\u201cNegotiations and ransoms have been undertaken, but these have not
\nstopped the criminals. It has only encouraged them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is only prudent to review one\u2019s position when the facts change, and
\nthe suggestion made by a citizen years ago cannot be taken as the
\nimmutable answer to a serious problem which has evolved since 2014, no
\nmatter the viral replays of the said video clip.\u201d<\/p>\n
The statement stressed that the state has been consistently transparent
\nabout its security challenges and support to security agencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are engaging the Federal Government to have security responses that
\nmove away from reactive response of repelling bandits towards a
\ncomprehensive, proactive offensive that takes the battle to the
\ncriminals and uproots them,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
The state government reminded that it has no direct control of any of
\nthe security agencies and will not compound the job of security agencies
\nby giving criminals the resources to acquire more arms.<\/p>\n
The government stressed that it was deeply concerned about the recent
\nkidnaps and killings of some students in tertiary institutions, and
\nsympathised with their families.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe mourn the dead students and we offer our condolences to the family
\nand friends of the deceased.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ruthless and heartless resort of the kidnappers to murdering these
\nyoung persons is part of their effort to further their blackmail and
\ncompel us to abandon our \u2018no-ransom, no-negotiation\u2019 policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
It added that the government would not surrender to the antics of the
\ncriminals or create an incentive for them to commit more crime.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Kaduna State Government has reiterated its stance not to negotiate with bandits and insisted that only total annihilation of the criminals would end banditry. The government was reacting to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":80079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n