By John Ikani
The 36 House of Assembly Speakers have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists and enemies of the nation.
This was their resolution at a Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly in Katsina State on Monday.
The speakers explained that the declaration of the bandits and kidnappers as terrorists would pave the way for the Nigerian military, police and other security agencies to attack and kill the hooligans without any major consequences in international law.
The call of the Conference of Speakers is coming a day after Katsina Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, reiterated the earlier call of his Kaduna counterpart, Nasir el-Rufai and the National Assembly for the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency on the nation’s security and declare bandits as terrorists.
Chairman of the Conference, who is also Bauchi State Speaker, Abubakar Suleiman, while making the call at the end of their third yearly meeting, said it was part of their five-point communiqué at the end of their eight-hour deliberations.
While reading the five-point communiqué before journalists at the Government House, Suleiman noted that the conference decried the spate of insecurity in the country and resolved to work out legislative frameworks to complement the effort of the federal government in fighting the hoodlums.
He added that the conference also resolved to make relevant laws to address fundamental issues that could curtail insecurity in the country, as well as creating employment for the unemployed youths.
He said: “The conference calls on the federal government to declare bandits and kidnappers as terrorists to enable security agencies to fight the criminals. This is not only to serve as deterant to others but also to become the solution to security challenges facing the country.
“The conference while commending the governors who have given assent to the fund management bills passed by respective state assemblies called on other state governors who are yet to do so to give assent to the bill for effective and efficient implementation of financial autonomy across the nation.”
What You Should Know
Populations in northern Nigeria are facing the ever increasing threat of banditry, a type of organized crime that includes kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, rape, cattle-rustling, and the exploitation of environmental resources.
Armed banditry has become a central security challenge to Nigeria’s northwest that has terrorized communities, killed and displaced thousands, hindered socio-economic development, and threatened democratic governance.
It started as conflicts between farmers and cattle herders, but has snowballed into terrorism. This year, bandits shot down an Air Force jet and have kidnapped more than 1000 people since January.
According to an American Security Project Report (2021), 200,000 people have fled their communities in Northern Nigeria this year, with 77,000 of them crossing the border in search of safer abodes outside the country.
The attacks have continued despite actions by security agencies and local vigilante groups and the attempts by some governors to pacify the bandits.
