Group Backs Probe Of Bandits’ Sponsors In North West

The Patriots for the Advancement of Peace and Social Development has declared support for the Defence Headquarters’ probe of sponsorship of banditry in the North West geopolitical zone.

In a statement yesterday by the executive director Dr Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi the group said it is a welcome development and long overdue in the quest for sustainable peace, security, and development in the region.

It said the spite of killings, kidnapping for ransom, destruction of property, imposition of levies and taxes, displacement of people from their communities by these criminal elements is alarming and calls for concerted military onslaught to crush  them and restore national security.

It said as a foremost pro-democracy group, it aligns its position with the Defence Headquarters, the highest military command in Nigeria, adding that any person or group of persons found wanting in the course of the probe should face the full weight of the law no matter his status or position in the country.

It added that some unscrupulous politicians have been using banditry as a campaign tool against their opponents for selfish political motives, saying

the Defence Headquarters should also probe those playing politics with the lives and property of innocent people. It also noted that other public office holders equally use  the security challenges as conduit pipes to divert and siphon public funds for personal enrichment.