Why We Stopped Negotiating With Bandits-FG

Why We Stopped Negotiating With Bandits-FG

Chief Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, the Minister of State for Education, has explained why the Federal Government FG decided to forego discussions with student kidnappers.

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that Nwajiuba spoke following the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, answering questions from State House media.

He said that the bandits utilized ransom money to resupply their weapons, worsening the country’s instability.

When questioned about the government’s response to a video that went viral showing abducted kids in Kaduna State being tortured by kidnappers, the minister replied.

Nigerians may be confident that attempts are being done to save the youngsters, according to Nwajiuba.

“Truly speaking, it is distressing whenever our pupils are removed at any point,” he says. I can tell you that the federal government is putting out every effort possible. Our security professionals have met with us many times.

“You may realize that insecurity at the school level originates from insecurity in the surrounding environment.

There was Boko Haram in the area before Chibok. The military’s success in essentially incapacitating Boko Haram in the northeast has resulted in some amount of banditry in the North West.

And as soon as the bandits came, they began randomly attacking several of our schools. Jengebe to Kagara is the distance between Jengebe and Kagara.

You know, it’s all over. We’ve followed them to the locations they’ve had to go.

“However, the military’s containment strategy is really in response to what we did as a humanitarian aspect that surrounds it since the military’s engagement with bandits once they have our civilians would be different from how they engage with normally.

As a result, they can’t go stroll into the woods and fire at everything or anybody they encounter. As a result, the bandits have been able to utilize some of our residents as human shields.

“We’ve had to put an end to discussions with bandits because we’ve observed that every time they are paid, it leads to more escalation because they reequip and rearm and then return.

“Because the kidnapping at the College of Forestry in Kaduna happened before the kidnappings at the Baptist College and Usman Polytechnic, before they took the university pupils.

Now, none of our pupils will be able to claim that we are content. It makes no difference which level you are on. At any given time, one is too many.

“So the military returned yesterday (Tuesday) with our children that they were able to save.

We’ve seen the videos you mentioned, and while we can’t vouch for their authenticity, it’s nonetheless alarming, and we’ve contacted military officials about it. They are relentless in their pursuit of them.

“There is no such thing as the federal government not engaged; we engage virtually 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’re trying to interact from wherever we are in the globe, and I’m simply trying to reassure Nigerians that, as disturbing as it is, we’re on top of it. And we will continue to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our children and students.”