Against the call on the government to negotiate for ceasefire with terrorists tormenting the country, the Nigerian Army has said government will not give amnesty to the terrorists that have wreaked havoc on the northern part of the country.
The Army also asked governors in the region to give it a free hand to eliminate the terrorists.
Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, made the remarks in Abuja on Wednesday when he played host to Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, to discuss the insecurity in the state and the ways to arrest the situation. Zamfara is one of the states in the north west that is currently under the siege of bandits who kidnap, kill and main for ransom.
The Army warned the criminals to flee the country with immediate effect, saying they would be given close marking and blocked from entering other parts of the country if they attempt to flee North West.
The Army chief said, “Your Excellency, I think we need to look at this amnesty programme. The criminal elements have proven to be incorrigible. So, the issue of amnesty has created avenue for them to be regroup and re-organise and launch attacks.”
Lagbaja was obviously reacting to the recent call by ex-Governor of the state, Sani Yerima, for the government to grant amnesty to the bandits that have killed hundreds of people.
Yerima had asked President Bola Tinubu to negotiate with terror gangs operating in Zamfara State and other parts of the Northwest of the country.
He said the negotiation he was advocating was similar to what the administration of former President Umar Yar’Adua did with militants in the Niger Delta, which gave birth to the amnesty programme.
