Ibrahim Gobir, Senator representing Sokoto North-East in the National Assembly, has condemned the idea of government negotiating with suspected criminal bandits.
Senator Gobir, whose senatorial zone, comprising eight local government areas are constantly in an news for bandit attacks, kidnapping and cattle rustling, queried the effect of previous negotiations on victims of the attack.
“Have previous negotiations with the bandits worked?” he told The Punch in an interview.
“Even the Federal Government’s negotiations with the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East; have they ended the insurgency?
“Tell me, where does this so called negotiation left the victims or someone whose father, mother or siblings were killed? Will the negotiation heal their wound, seeing their tormentors walking freely with raised shoulder?”
The senator also drew the line between negotiation with Niger Delta militants and insurgents in the North.
“These are two distinct issues. The Niger Deltans had clearly defined agitations that were brought to the roundtable and clearly sorted out. The insurgents’ ideology is not for the betterment of the country.”
Gobir also aligned his position with the decision of the National Assembly leadership, calling for the sacking of service chiefs.
“As a member of the National Assembly, I stand by the calls for the sacking of the service chiefs. That is the position of the Senate and I stand by it.
“The headship of all the national security outfits is entrusted in the hands of northerners; but why is banditry and kidnapping so rampant especially in the North. This is a food for thought.”
