Army chief declares: No amnesty for terrorists, bandits

Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has declared that there would be no amnesty for terrorists and bandits in the country.

Lagbaja described the amnesty programme for bandits and terrorists in Zamfara State and other parts of the country as a failed programme.

The COAS said this when he hosted Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, in his office in Abuja on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.

The army chief said the amnesty programme had failed to achieve its purpose in the past, stressing that it only gave criminals the opportunity to regroup, reorganize, and attack defenceless citizens.

The COAS said: “We also have the issue of the amnesty programme that has been instituted, and which has failed not only in Zamfara but so many other states of the North-West.

“So, I think we need to look at this issue of the amnesty programme because the criminal elements have proven to be incorrigible.

“The issue of amnesty has created an avenue for them to regroup and reorganise to launch attack on our defenceless citizens. So I think we need to look at that.”

Lagbaja thanked the governor for feedback on the activities of troops deployed to restore peace in Zamfara State, adding that he had directed the deployment of more platforms and release of funds to reactivate unserviceable platforms to boost troops’ operations in the state.

According to him, the Zamfara crisis is a mix of farmer-herder clashes, ethnic confrontations and the quest for economic empowerment driven by mining activities.

He assured that the army was determined to tackle the security challenges in the state.

On his part, Governor Lawal said Zamfara State has been facing very challenging security threat and appealed for the support of the Nigerian Army to address it.

Lawal, however, commended the efforts of the troops in restoring peace in the state and called for the deployment of more military wares to support military operations.

He said at the moment, only a few operational vehicles in the state were serviceable, while cases of kidnapping and killing of innocent people were rampant on a daily basis.

The governor said: “In fact, I will say without mincing words, that Zamfara is the state that is facing the most challenge in the area of insecurity today.

“Therefore, for me, being the number one citizen, part of my responsibility is protecting lives and properties, but I cannot do this alone.

“I, therefore, need the support of the Chief of Army Staff and his entire team in bringing peace to Zamfara, as well as Nigeria in general.”

Lawal said though the troops were doing very well to secure Zamfara State, there was a need for serious intervention in terms of the level of manpower.

The Star