Why Dialogue With Bandits Will Not Work

Former Kaduna Senator, Shehu Sani has explained why he thinks dialogue with bandits will not work.

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There have been reports of some governors in Nigeria’s North West geopolitical zone said to have had dialogues with bandits in the past.

The governors were reported to have had a dialogue with the criminals in other for them to stop attacking, kidnapping, and killing villagers in their states.

Sani in a tweet on his handle on Sunday, listed three reasons why holding conversation with the criminals will yield no results.

“Dialogue with Bandits will not work because of these three reasons,” Shehu Sani began.

“They are not an armed movement founded for the pursuit of any religious, ethnic or political causes, other than extortion by atrocious blackmail, abductions and cold-blooded murder of innocent citizens.

“Two, they are not united under a single leadership but operate in clusters and criminal gangs.

“Three, their motivation is money; they kill and abduct for money.
Bandits are unlike Iswap and Boko elements whose acts of abduction, terrorist attacks, and slaughter of innocent citizens is done under the guise of religion.”

The former lawmaker, who has become a sort of social commentator argued that dialogue with bandits is a waste of time.

He added that “Those Governors who tried it later regretted it.”