Lawmakers at Red Chamber of National Assembly have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits killing and bringing untoward destruction to Nigerians as terrorists.
Aside from seeking terrorist status for bandits, the parliamentarians also urged the president to put all known leaders of bandits on the country’s wanted list and direct security operatives to begin manhunt in aiding their arrest and subsequent prosecution.
Doing these, the lawmakers argued, would send the right signals to the criminals and such would put the security operatives on toes to wage war against the criminals and bring about their end.
The lawmakers request followed a motion moved by the lawmaker representing Sokoto East, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, and eight others after considering the impact of the bandits activities across the country
While presenting the motion, Gobir frowned at the activities of the bandits across the country, saying his senatorial district had become hideouts for bandits fleeing from the current military onslaught against them.
He added that the recent killings of 21 security operatives during the weekend in Dama and Gangara, and other across Nigeria was a testament to the need for the president to declare total war on banditry and the perpetrators as terrorist.
Gobir added that it was sad that the nation keeps losing such a number of trained officers at the hands of bandits, arguing that if left unchecked, the development could further worsens the country’s security architecture.
He, however, urged the government to ensure that the onslaught against the bandits was well coordinated. “The operation should be holistic instead of restrictive in order to produce effective and the desired results,” the lawmaker said.
