The Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani-Bello has revealed why the state government ceased all forms of dialogue with bandits.
He said that some bandits tricked the state into believing they had repented but it turned out that they only pretended so that they could get more money which they used to procure more arms to continue their criminal activities.
Governor Sani-Bello disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking with some members of the local vigilante in Mariga local government area of the state.
“From experience, it has been discovered that the repentant bandits, after collecting cash from the dialogue option, they will purchase more weapons and return to their old ways of banditry,” the Niger governor said.
However, he explained that his administration would not turn its back on bandits that voluntarily surrender their weapons.
“Any bandit that surrenders his weapons and repents from his heinous way of living would be forgiven and provided with a means of livelihood which would not necessarily include any cash backing,” Sani-Bello stated.
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He assured the local vigilante that the state government was working on a compensation package for the families of those that lost their lives in the cause of confronting bandits to restore peace to the state.
This, he added, would be a continuous exercise.
San-Bello further explained that the local vigilantes would be provided with automatic Pump Action Guns among other sophisticated weapons so that they could defend themselves adequately against the marauders.