Bandits

President Muhammadu Buhari has on Friday ordered the Nigerian army to identify all the bandits disturbing the peace of the country and eliminate them.

Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, a former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, says politicians are responsible for activities of bandits terrorising the country.

Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly, Peter Diah, has said that the security threats bedevilling the country requires an integrated approach of both citizens and security operatives to end the scourge.

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, has said he was never attacked by Fulani bandits.

An Ifa Priest in Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, Chief Adebola Adetimehin, has threatened that the Ijebus would go spiritual to curb the invasion of their areas by suspected herdsmen, kidnappers and bandits.

There are strong indications that no fewer than nine states will soon acquire remotely piloted aircraft (drones) and other devices as part of measures to tackle kidnapping and killing in their states.

Some repentant bandits in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara, on Monday, explained why they took up arms against the people of the area.

Senator Abba Moro says the country’s political system works in a “very anti-development way’’, citing poverty as one of the culprits.

Troops of 1 Division, Nigerian Army, deployed at Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Operation CLEAN SWEEP, has confirmed 10 bandits during a clearance operation at Kuduru forest.

Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State has said that cattle rustlers and arm bandits have been granted amnesty by the Northwest governors as part of measures to restore peace in the zone.

The Defence Headquarters yesterday said its operations launched to wipe out banditry, kidnapping and robbery in the North West part of the country have killed 132 armed bandits, recovered 39 firearms and 2,437 rounds of ammunitions between May and July.

The Nigerian Army on Wednesday tightened security on some major highways in Ekiti State, to curb the rising spate of killings, kidnappings and other crimes.

The Defence Headquarters, Abuja, on Tuesday, said the outcome of the ongoing investigations, of the former General Officer Commanding, 8 Division, Maj. Gen Hakeem Otiki, over alleged diversion of over N400m by five runaway soldiers in the division would be made public.

The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of dividing the country through his style of leadership.

A policeman was killed at the weekend when some 300 bandits ambushed a team of security personnel responding to distress calls from communities in Kankara local government area of Katsina State.

1 Division Nigerian Army on Wednesday said, it has killed 24 criminal elements during its operation Harbin Kunama III in Kano, Kaduna and Niger states within one month of operation.

Troops have neutralized scores of bandits/kidnappers in Sokoto and arrested ransom collectors and informants working for them, the Nigerian Army said on Monday.

Some suspected bandits have shot the wife of Bunza Local Council Chairman, a policeman and a member of the local vigilante at Zogirma community in Kebbi after a botched kidnap attempt.