…Denies Paying Them Money
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani says the state government will start documenting repentant bandits on Saturday.
The governor disclosed this during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Thursday, saying the government had received the first set of repentant bandits; most of them in Birnin Gwari are indigenes of the community.
He said the Birnin-Gwari cattle market was reopened which was closed for about 10 years due to insecurity in the area.
“We had a lot of discussions with some of them. Some of them said that most of them were killed by security agencies when we started discussion and negotiation. But in this case, we did not give them one naira. There is no monetary issue at all. Most of them are tired.
“The earlier we stop politicizing the issue, the better. We carry the Birnin Gwari community under the leadership who have been (living) in Birnin Gwari for decades, and who have been involved in many things. He told me that all those bandits you are talking of were born in Birnin Gwari in his presence.
“This is the Kaduna model. It is different from anywhere. From tomorrow (Saturday), we will start registration of most of these repentant people.
“It is a process that took almost six months precisely to reach this position. Birnin Gwari is one of the most critical local governments in terms of banditry, kidnapping, and insurgency in the North-West.
“We also partner with the federal security agencies, the office of the National Security Adviser. So it is a collective effort.
“The Kaduna State Government has been working tirelessly to engage stakeholders and build trust among the various communities in the state,” Sani said.
On payment to bandits by the state government, Governor Sani says no money was paid to bandits for them to surrender their arms.
He affirmed that the state government would not enter into any form of dialogue or negotiations with some repentant bandits to lay down their arms.
“We did not give them one naira.
“There was no monetary issue at all. Most of them were tired, so we sat down with them and asked them, ‘Why do you continue to remain in the bush just attacking our people, kidnapping them,” he asked.
Governor Sani pointed out that it took his administration six months to broker peace with the bandits.
According to him, the disarmament, mobilization, and integration of the repentant bandits are in process.
“It is a process that took almost six months precisely to reach this position. Birnin Gwari is one of the most critical local governments in terms of banditry, kidnapping, and insurgency in the North-West.
“We also partner with the federal security agencies, the office of the National Security Adviser. So it is a collective effort,” Sani added.
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