A former leader of of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Buba Galadima has stated that some government officials don’t want an end to banditry.
According to Buba, some of the government officials want banditry to continue because they are benefiting economically from it.
Furthermore, he stated that the Federal Government is unwilling to address the issue of banditry in some parts of the nation.
The estranged political partner of President Muhammadu Buhari said thus:
“The Federal Government itself does not want to fight this war against bandits, so if their posture of not trying to fight this war to a logical conclusion suggests that they are part of the system, then I concur.
“I feel there are a lot of people in government who really do not want this fight to end because of the economic value to them, just like the Katsina governor had said.”
Buba went further to knock off those condemning the interaction between Popular Islamic Scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi and the bandits.
He claimed,
“Those saying Gumi’s interaction with bandits is treason is unpatriotic Nigerians. What Gumi has done is that he has tried to fill a vacuum created by those in authority, and this is why concerned citizens are taking it upon themselves to see what they can do to bring about a solution.
“There is nowhere in the world that this should be reasonable. Gumi is not going there to encourage them into violence but to see things from their perspective, what led them into such, and then interface in bringing about solutions. Because Gumi is the one doing this, some people in authority don’t like his face.
“This will not be the first time that authority would hold talks with people who have taken arms against the state. Didn’t we negotiate with Biafra even after the war? Didn’t we negotiate with the restive Niger Delta youths? Didn’t we talk to OPC? So what is good for the goose is also good for the gander.
“Please, we should build Nigeria; if it takes Gumi and others to talk to these bandits to drop their arms so that some of us can travel from Abuja to Kaduna without fear, let it be. Gumi is doing what I cannot do; if I’m in the position to talk to them, I will.”
