Give bandits promising future – Buhari’s ex-minister tells Tinubu

A former Minister of Communication Adebayo Shittu has urged
the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to promise bandits a promising
future by negotiating with them.

Shittu said most of these bandits are able-bodied men whom
the Federal Government should retain.

Featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today on
Tuesday, the former minister said non-kinetic approach in dealing with banditry
would bring about a lot of results.

“If I am in position, it is not too late to use non-kinetic
measures in negotiating with bandits, giving them a promising future. Let us
retain them. Many of them are very intelligent, many of them are able-bodied,”
Shittu said.

The ex-minister said the millions of out-of-school children
in Northern Nigeria is a “production factory for banditry” in the country.

This is coming when controversial Islamic cleric, Ahmad
Gumi, had urged the Federal Government to negotiate with bandits.

Gumi had urged Tinubu against toeing the path of former
President Muhammadu Buhari who refused to negotiate with bandits.