Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, has said that ending banditry in the country is not impossible, but cannot be achieved through the use of brute force. He said, the escalation in abductions in the country despite the presence of security operatives, is a clear indication that security operatives cannot deal with the problem.
He however, insisted that there's no better way to address the problem than dialogue.
He said, “We know our security operatives can’t stop them and we were convinced that the dialogue remains the best option.
“We have drilled boreholes in 138 identified bandits’ camps in the state and we will not relent until peace returned,” he added.
The position of the governor is shared by Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi, who said although there's a variety of options on whether or not to dialogue with the bandits and even grant them amnesty, use of force will only make things worse.
“On this matter, opinions differ, some people are saying that authorities should not hold dialogue with criminals while some are of the opinion that they should be crushingly defeated.
“What we observed is that these people are stark illiterates with no education whatsoever.
“But if they should be called upon and talked to they could be persuaded to embrace peace,” the cleric said.
Sheik Gumi said an attempt to militarily quell armed banditry is dangerous and would not succeed, adding that the best way to tackle the menace is adopting a carrot and stick approach and this should be put into consideration by all the stakeholders.
The latest victims, who are over 200 students, were already freed by the bandits. It is however unclear if any ransom was paid for their release.