A security commentator warned that negotiating with bandits only makes them stronger and called for the Nigerian state to use “the full weight of the might of the state” to stop mass abductions and killings.
Speaking with Kofi Bartels on The Morning Crossfire on Nigeria Info 99.3FM, Dr. Majeed Dahiru said handing over to negotiators “embodies them, it enriches them, and it makes them expand their terror network.”
He added: “They will do it over and over again, because to them, you are weak, and they want to take advantage of that weakness.”
Dahiru criticised recent government responses to attacks in Niger State, saying the same area was struck twice and asking, “How many more Nigerians will have to be adopted or killed before the government will wake up to its responsibilities?”
He warned that if bandits are left unchecked, they could move south and try to take control of states and their resources.
He pointed to Sudan as a warning, saying fighters once labelled “bandits” had become an armed force seeking state control.
“What you have in Sudan today is former bandits, former terrorists, murderers, that were somehow supported by the state,” he said.
Dahiru urged limited local self-defence measures, more boots on the ground, and quicker follow-up after air strikes.
“The only way we can defeat these guys is the full weight of the might of the state and nothing else,” he said, urging the government to act decisively.
