Dare Babalola
Sokoto South Senator Aminu Tambuwal has made a startling revelation about his past interactions with bandits.
While appearing on Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today on Friday, Tambuwal confirmed that he engaged bandits through backdoor channels during his tenure as governor of the state.
Tambuwal noted that banditry in Nigeria is a complex issue, involving both foreign and Nigerian elements.
He highlighted the historical context of the problem, tracing it back to the influx of arms into the country from the Sahel region, particularly Libya, in the 1980s.
According to Tambuwal, “We did engage bandits through back door and channels when I was governor of the state.”
This admission has sparked interest and debate, with many calling for further clarification on the matter.
Tambuwal also shed light on the nature of banditry, describing it as a combination of foreign and Nigerian elements. He emphasized that the problem is not new, but rather a longstanding issue that has been exacerbated by the influx of arms into the country.
The senator drew a distinction between Boko Haram and banditry, noting that while Boko Haram has a command structure and is ideologically driven, banditry is more complex and lacks a unified leadership. He observed that even among bandits, there are internal conflicts and power struggles.
He said, “We did engage bandits through back door channels.
“Bandits are a combination of foreign elements and Nigerians. With the problems in the Sahel, particularly in Libya downwards, we have been having this problem and people don’t remember that this problem did not start today.”
Recall that recently former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, accused the Federal Government of deliberately empowering armed bandits through policies that provide them with monthly allowances and food supplies under the guise of non-kinetic security strategies.
This led to a backlash especially from the corners of the government who accused El-Rufai of attempting to politicise the country’s security.
