Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has charged the military to show no mercy to unrepentant bandits who shun the window of peace opened by the state government in order to restore and sustain peace in the state. Abdul Labaran Malumfashi, Director General, Media to the governor said this in a statement issued in Katsina.
Governor Masari spoke on Friday when he hosted some military top brass from Defense Headquarters, Abuja under the leadership of Major General Leo Irabor, Chief of Defence Training and Operations.
The Governor, who spoke well of the Nigerian military, described its performance in peace keeping engagements across the country as well as outside Nigeria as exceptional.
He described the Nigerian military as one of the institutions warehousing the brightest minds in Nigeria, which, according to him, explains why it frequently lives up to the expectation of Nigerians.
He said the military had made good use of the brilliant minds in its midst to come up with strategies which enhance the performance of its officers and men.
“I salute and commend the military for its outstanding performance in peace efforts across the country and even beyond our shores”, he declared.
He said bandits who remained recalcitrant and unrepentant after the peace dialogue should be RUTHLESSNESSLY dealt with by the military.
“Where it’s absolutely necessary, the military should use force to deal with those who refuse to toe the line of peace, because peace has to be nurtured and sustained.
“However, if we can achieve peace without firing a bullet, that is the best option, but if there are unapologetic outlaws then they must be brutally stopped without apology”.
The Katsina State Governor attributed the security situation today to failure to make adequate advance preparation, saying that the involvement of the military in what is purely a civil matter is because of the failure of the agencies charged with the responsibility.
He called on the police to barrow a leaf from the military by being proactive and thinking out of the box to address its shortcomings, so as to improve on its performance.
He said there was need for more and better training for its personnel to make them capable of handling civil issues without involving the military.
He noted that the conflict between farmers and herders degenerated into kidnapping for ransom, rape, murder and arson because of the inability of the Police to handle what started as a purely civil matter.
Earlier, General Irabor had informed Governor Masari that the delegation was in Katsina at the instance of the Chief of Defence Staff to convey the military High Command’s appreciation to the Katsina State Government for the financial and logistics assistance it regularly extends to the military in the state.
