As the country continues to witness more success in the war against banditry, especially in the North West states, the Northern Elders Progressive Forum (NEPF) has commended tactics employed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration ahead of that of his predecessor, Muhammad Buhari.
The group in a statement signed by its chairman, Dr Usman Sani, said the methods adopted by President Tinubu are working well when compared with the immediate past administration of Buhari.
The statement further said that over 260 persons were rescued by the security agents within Sokoto, Zamfara and Niger states in the last month.
“We commend the efforts of the Federal Government under President Tinubu on his genuine determination toward the fight against insecurity challenges facing our region, especially with the recent visit to the United States by the Honourable Minister of State, Defense, Dr Bello Mohammed Matawalle.
“We are hoping it will yield a greater benefit and success in the war against banditry, criminal activities in the North West and the country in general.
“We also commend the proactive measure taken by the Minister for State for Defence, in which he directed the Nigerian Army not to wait for any orders before going after bandits.”
It will be recalled that the former governor of Zamfara State in a statement said, “We have directed our gallant troops to, henceforth, for the sake of urgency, identify and clamp on bandits’ enclaves even without ‘On-the-Spot’ order from what we called ‘The Top’, capture them on target and hit them heavily to the extent they could not have any hiding place in the bushes.”
The statement further called on the Northern Governors, especially the affected states, to stop playing politics with the security of the lives of their citizens.
It called on them to support the efforts of the President and his appointee in the fight against banditry and other criminal activities in the region.
