Follow Us on Google
From Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi; Tony John, Port Harcourt; Paul Orude, Bauchi; Paul Osuiyi, Asaba and Lucky Ighomuaye
On Tuesday, over 15 soldiers were reportedly killed by bandits. Scores of Nigerians have also been killed in many states, especially in the North, by suspected bandits and herdsmen in the last two weeks.
Saturday Sun spoke with some Nigerians on what they think President Bola Tinubu should do to urgently arrest this gory resurgence of mindless killings by terrorists.
President should deal with those sponsoring banditry – Professor Stella-Maris Okey, lecturer
The president should identify those sponsoring these banditry activities through giving the terrorists firearms, and he should deal with them. He should renew the policy of sim card registration and ensure that unregistered numbers do not function. He should also carry out strong enlightenment programmes on the evil that these acts are causing to the growth and development of Nigeria.
He should boost military’s morale to confront bandits – Asiwaju Akinkunmi, businessman
It’s really devastating when you wake up on a daily basis and people are killed in Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and other states. We have to take back our country from bandits. He should be able to stop this because he has the instrument of coercion; he has the army and the police. All he needs to do is to motivate them, boost the morale of the military to be able to confront them because they know that they have a stake to prevent banditry in Nigeria.
Tinubu should declare state of emergency on security – James Agera, civil servant
President Tinubu should quickly declare a state of emergency on security and to further give an order of shoot at sight of any bandit found in the country. If he does that, it will reduce their activities and they will not be parading themselves and attacking innocent citizens and the military the way they are doing.
He has the tools to ensure security – Godson Umeadi, retiree
He should use the tools he has to make sure that there is adequate security in the country. The army is there, his special advisers are there, only that they have not sworn-in ministers. But for now, the ball is in his court to make use of the military chiefs. We have been praying, but we need to back it up with action.
He should convoke a security conference – Nelson Egware, politician
The president should convoke a kind of security conference. where he can sit with all the security top echelon to discuss on strategies to combat insecurity. First, they need to ensure that all those involved in the security architecture are carried along in the process of ensuring that everything needed to be done in terms of procurement of security gadgets and the necessary logistics are provided for them to effectively do their work. He should engage in dialogue where necessary, and apply carrot and stick approach. For areas like the South-East, it can be treated in isolation by applying political solution which is to release Nnamdi Kanu from detention. For the north, I would recommend a full scale military action to wipe off those insurgents. A military helicopter was shot down by these same bandits, and this is not the first time it is happening.
He must set target for service chiefs – Livingstone Wechie, lawyer
The president must have a target for all service chiefs and employ high technology to fight this battle. Any service chief that fails the target must be sacked and sanctioned forthwith. It is important that the president must have a new target for intelligence gathering and management because of the perceived infiltration aimed at undermining Nigeria’s war on insurgency.
Secondly, the security architecture of Nigeria must be reworked as an emergency to reflect the direction and targets of this administration.
He should give security chiefs ultimatum – Jackson Ojo, security expert
The president must fish out the people behind the attack. Without these bandits being fished out, Nigeria is an unsafe territory. The level of insecurity in Nigeria is taking a very dangerous trend. If the bandits could attack the military aircraft, it gives a very dangerous signal. Tinubu should give an ultimatum to all the security chiefs to go after the perpetrator and let this threat stop. We want to see the perpetrators arrested. If they are not arrested, Nigerians are in a big trouble. It is a dangerous trend that needs to be urgently tackled.
He should invest more in armed forces – Abdulljaleel Yusuf, graphics designer
He should invest more on security, particularly in armed forces and I believe by doing that it will stabilise the situation and stop insecurity.
He should invest more in security – Emmanuel Idung, undergraduate
The President should invest more in the security of the country because human life is precious. It’s sad that these soldiers are being killed by suspected bandits and herdsmen and they cannot protect themselves.
He should provide the necessary weapons to soldiers – Nenrit Ishaya Faith, undergraduate
The government should invest more in security because if the lives of the soldiers are not secure I don’t know what would be the fate of civilians. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should do the needful and provide weapons needed by our solders to defend themselves and the country.
He should engage foreign security experts- Mark Nkworji, media practitioner
This is the time to put a square peg in a square hole. The military apparatus or what they called architecture has to be rejigged and the right personnel who have the zeal and patriotism to protect this country should be put at the forefront to checkmate this menace. So, he should call the military chiefs, seek experts’ advice, if possible, outside the shore of Nigeria. The government does not need to be ashamed. It should engage foreign security experts.
The military should be equipped. The military officers, those in the trenches fighting these terrorists and herdsmen should be rewarded in terms of remuneration because it is when you are well motivated that you can put in your best.
He should order military to wipe out bandits, insurgents – Roland Osakue, journalist
The recent herdsmen’s attacks in Plateau State is condemnable. As a matter of fact, that attack is one too many at this time of a new regime. Tinubu has also promised that he is going to tackle security problem in Nigeria and instead of Nigeria facing her internal security affairs, Nigeria is focusing on how to attack Niger, which is very bad. Tinubu should ensure that a round peg is in a round hole at this time. He should ensure that a mandate is given to the military that all the bandits, terrorists in the parts of the country are wiped out and this should not last more than three months.
He should overhaul military deployment in the north – Austine Enabulele, activist
The president must as a matter of urgent importance, change all the military leadership, overhaul redeployment of all the officers in the North to other parts of the country and finally let only the Northern military officers remain in the Northern states because they best know their area better than a non-Northern officers. But the military leadership must change hands. The president must ensure that the last ambush on the officers should be the last.
