Niger Gov. Bago proposes dialogue with bandits, but…

Niger State Governor, Umar Bago says his administration has not ruled out the possibility of a dialogue with bandits and terrorists who have invaded the state and taken over the vast forests and ungoverned areas.

Bago who made the proposal after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, said his administration has put in place a non-kinetic mechanism to engage the bandits to complement efforts by the military in tackling the menace of the criminal elements.

Bago who spoke to State House correspondents after the meeting, added that if his non-kinetic approach fails, he would activate a military action that would crush the bandits and drive them out of the state.

Read also: Bandits dislodged from Katsina, Zamfara, relocating to Niger State —Senator

“We are looking at two options: first, non-kinetic; as a government, we have put in machinery to start talking to the bandits,” he said.

The governor added that other measures he had taken included the creation of a ministry that will address the issues bordering on Fulani herdsmen and pastoralists.

“We have also created a Ministry for Nomadic and Pastoral Affairs to look at the issues of Fulani herdsmen.

“You also need to understand that Niger State has the largest congregation of Fulani. Niger State is 8.3 million hectares of land with bodies of water, and the environment is very good for grazing.

“A lot of Fulani across the world, not just Africa, converge in Niger State, so we don’t want them to leave, We don’t want any major military activities, We want to talk to them.

“But if we don’t get to that level of dialogue, then probably, we have to go fully military,” he said.

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