Niger govt ready to dialogue with bandits, says SSG

Niger State Government has said it is ready to dialogue with the bandits if they are prepared to embrace peace, sheath their swords and mix with the mainstream of the society after which government will provide them with the means of livelihood so that they can live a normal life.

The government stated this on Friday while speaking through the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Metane in an interactive session with newsmen in Minna, saying, “what we have found out is that the Zamfara State government had gone into dialogue with the armed bandits, they have signed some agreements, and had found out that it may not be comfortable for them to operate in that state anymore.”

The SSG, added that what the bandits did after their peace accord with the Zamfara State government was to run back to the state where this peace accord has not been signed with them, stressing that “this is exactly what has been happening in Niger State with the attacks on a regular basis including the recent abductions of the 53 passengers on board a luxury bus on the fleet of the Niger State Transport Authority( NSTA) and the abduction of the students of Government Science College, Kagara, their staff and the family members within the school premises last month.

He said, “In Niger State, we have never had a camp for bandits, they usually come temporarily, operate and leave the state to where they came from.”

Metane, however, pointed out that one of the thoughts of the bandits’ commanders was to come to a meeting with the state government in order to see how they would stretch their hands of dialogue within the state so that the state can be at peace as government and people of the state would definitely want it.

“They called a meeting at Shiroro and the meeting has taken place but the government has not been represented because the government has realized that the meeting was purely for other bandits in the other locations. So, at their meetings, they held it that they also talked to one another about how they can go about having peace with no bandits’ activities in the state.

“I am sure that when they are through, we would see that peace would reign again just as the government will also manage from its own end,” he said.

He, however, reiterated the belief that that dealing with security matters as carrots and stick was still there, emphasizing that the security agencies were doing whatever they were supposed to do to ensure the protection of lives and property in the state.

“And of course again, we stretch our hands for those who are willing to come back to the mainstream so that they can see reasons why they must not carry arms and pursue their legitimate means of livelihood. And this is the position of the government,” maintained the SSG.

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