North-West Governors have said they are willing to forgive bandits who surrender their arms as they have a chance to do so now.
This is according to the Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari, who also said bandits should vacate forests in the northwest or face the wrath of security agencies.
The governor said this was done in efforts to flush out illegal elements and hoodlums who launch sporadic attacks from those forests.
Masari said: “Whoever remains in the forest would be regarded as a bandit. Therefore, the security forces will deal with them ruthlessly.”
The rise in terrorists’ activities, banditry, and abductions across the country has forced the minister of defence, Major General Salihi Magashi (rtd), to state that Nigeria is in a critical situation.
Magashi made the disclosure at a National Defence and Security Summit organised by the Defence Headquarters on Monday, March 22.
In a related development, Lucky Irabor, chief of defence staff assured Nigerians that peace would soon be restored across the country.
The defence chief disclosed this after he was decorated by President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, March 5.
He said the nation will soon be liberated from insecurity.
Irabor, who was promoted to a four-star general, added that people cannot continue to live in fear in Nigeria.
