Senator to Buhari: Declare Bandits Terrorists

With the increase in insecurity and its challenges on the masses, the Senate has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists.

The call was made on Wednesday’s plenary, following a motion moved by Senator Ibrahim Abdullahi Gobir, Sokoto East representative, and eight others.

The federal lawmakers also called on the President to declare wanted all bandits known leaders and track them wherever they are to be arrested and prosecuted.

The Senator lamented that his senatorial district had become a haven for bandits who fled from their current onslaught against them in Zamfara State.

He recalled that in Saturday’s attack in Dama and Gangara, 21 security personnel were killed, with other civilians yet to be accounted for.
The ugly incident, he said, requires the declaration of total war on banditry, as it shows the height of attacks.

He lamented further that the nation keeps losing such several trained officers to bandits, a trend which he stated that if it is not handled correctly, the country’s security architecture will be jeopardised.

Gobir urged the government to ensure that the onslaught against the marauders is well coordinated. The recently strengthened military operations are compelling bandits to move from Zamfara State into Sabon Birni and Isa Local Government areas of Sokoto State.

“The operation should be holistic instead of restrictive in order to produce effective and the desired results,” the Senator stated.