Army rules out amnesty for bandits, terrorists

The Chief of Army Staff Major General Taoreed Lagbaja has dismissed amnesty pleas for bandits and terrorists.

Lagbaja said the amnesty programme has failed to achieve its purpose in the past,adding that it gives criminals opportunity to regroup and attack defenceless citizens.

The COAS said this in Abuja when he received Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal on a courtesy visit.

He thanked the Governor for feedback on the activities of troops deployed in the State to restore peace.

Lagbaja said while the Zamfara terrain was difficult to navigate, he had directed the deployment of more platforms and release of more funds to reactivate unserviceable platforms to boost troops operations in the State.

He said the Zamfara crisis was a mix of many things such as the farmer herder clashes, ethnic confrontations and the quest for economic survival

He said the military would address concerns raised by the governor and other stakeholders.

The COAS said: "On insecurity being experienced in Zamfara state, just yesterday I tasked the Chief of military intelligence to think on ways to address the issue of Yan Sakai and other regional groups that operate in Zamfara State.

*We will not have a situation where some people constitute themselves into our law and just go into communities and kill children and defenseless women.

*Working in this with the state government and other critical stakeholders we can eliminate this outlook and reduce the insecurities of in the state by a significant percentage.

"So I want to appeal to you your Excellency that as we come up with our strategy to address the issue of the Yan Sakai and other regional groups, the state government should dispose to the implementation of the measures that we will recommend so that together we will address the activities of this criminal elements.

"We also have the issue of the amnesty program that has been instituted, and which have failed. The criminals agreements have proven to be incorrigible and so the issue of amnesty has created avenue for the groups to reorganized and launch attacks on defenseless citizens."