The governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani-Bello, says repentant bandits in the state are not sincerely embracing peace through dialogue.
Mr Sani-Bello, who stated this on Wednesday while addressing a vigilante group at Mariga local government of the state, said criminal elements deceived his administration into thinking they have repented.
He said this is why he decided to stop the pecuniary grants to those who have genuinely decided to surrender their arms.
”From experience, it has been discovered that the repentant bandits, after collecting cash from the dialogue option, they will purchase more weapons and return to their old ways of banditry,” the governor said.
“Any bandit that surrenders his weapons and repents from his heinous way of living would be forgiven and provided with a means of livelihood which would not necessarily include any cash backing,” he added.
Bandits are having a field day particularly in the Northern part of the country and some state governments have chosen dialoguing with them as the only solution to peace.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently cautioned the governors to desist from further rewarding repentant bandits with money and vehicles as reported in the media.
Mr Buhari said such conducts is likely going to backfire with dire consequences.
