Banditry: Ndume backs defence minister’s shoot-on- sight order
—Says sustained offensive will crush terrorists
—Urges Tinubu to talk to Nigerians regularly
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA — FORMER Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume on Thursday, threw his weight to the order by the Minister of Defence, Ge. Christopher Musa (retd) to the military to shoot on sight any terrorists or bandits, saying sustained military pressure, not negotiations or concessions, remains the surest path to ending insecurity in Nigeria.
Fielding question from State House correspondents after meeting behind closed-doors with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Senator Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District also kicked against reintegration of repentant terrorists in the society.
He also said those who aid criminal groups should be treated as accomplices.
Ndume, who was once the Chief Whip of the Senate, argued that recent military successes across the country demonstrate that insurgent groups are steadily losing ground under sustained offensives by the Armed Forces.
“If the tempo is kept, I’m sure this thing will come to an end,” he told journalists.
The ranking lawmaker cited the elimination of key terrorist leaders, the surrender of several commanders and improved security in parts of the North-East and South-East as evidence that the military strategy is yielding results.
He maintained that terrorists and bandits deserve no leniency.
“You don’t spare a bandit. You don’t spare a terrorist. Once you identify a terrorist, because if you don’t kill him, he will kill you,” Ndume said.
Recall that the Minister of Defence, Gen. Musa had recently told soldiers at the front line not to wait for any order when they confront the terrorists and bandits.
The Minister vowed that the government will neither negotiate with terrorists nor tolerate ransom payments, arguing that such concessions embolden criminal groups, enable them to regroup and prolong insecurity.
Although he refused to give details of his meeting with the President, the Borno South vocal senator said that his meeting with President Tinubu centred on security and the economy, describing both as Nigeria’s most urgent challenges.
He said the President demonstrated his commitment to restoring security by convening a meeting with the service chiefs before receiving him.
“I had an appointment for 3 pm, but I had to wait because the President was in a security meeting. As you can see, the service chiefs came in. That means the President is sitting up,” he said.
According to him, military operations have intensified in the North-West against bandits, while campaigns in the North-East have led to the neutralisation of insurgent leaders and the surrender of several fighters.
He also acknowledged improvements in the South-East, where he said separatist-related violence had declined significantly.
“The South-East issue is not as before, and that is one area where we need to commend the President, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Army and other security agencies for what they are doing,” he said.
Ndume also welcomed the decision by the 19 Northern governors to establish a regional security trust fund, describing it as a positive step towards strengthening collaboration between the Federal Government and the states.
“You don’t leave security entirely to the Federal Government. If the governors are contributing resources, they should work with existing security institutions. The more coordinated the effort, the stronger the response,” he said.
Beyond security, the senator urged the Tinubu administration to intensify efforts to cushion the economic hardship facing Nigerians through better coordination of interventions aimed at reducing the cost of living.
“We have all it takes. It is just that we need to coordinate our efforts. Once Nigerians see the efforts of the government, they will appreciate them,” he said.
Ndume also advised President Tinubu to engage Nigerians more directly through regular national addresses, arguing that effective communication would strengthen public confidence in government policies.
“I told Mr. President that he should speak directly to Nigerians. People expect their leader to tell them what is going on instead of leaving others to speak on his behalf. That is very important,” he said.
He said the President welcomed his suggestions and agreed that they should hold regular consultations on national issues, stressing that solving Nigeria’s multifaceted challenges require contributions from a broad range of stakeholders.
“A country like Nigeria must have problems, and the President alone cannot solve all the problems. He needs people that can share ideas with him because two heads are better than one,” Ndume said.
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