Tambuwal admitted his government engaged bandits informally, stressing banditry is both local and foreign-driven.
Former Sokoto State Governor and current Senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Tambuwal, on Friday confirmed that his administration engaged with bandits through unofficial channels in an effort to address insecurity.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Tambuwal explained that banditry in Nigeria involves both local and foreign elements. “We did engage bandits through back door channels,” he said, stressing that the crisis is rooted in decades-old instability across the Sahel.
He noted that arms influx from conflicts in Chad and Libya since the 1980s had worsened insecurity. “Our borders are not properly manned, so you can’t say that there are no foreign elements in this banditry. It’s criminality, it’s business to them and they are making money out of it,” he said.
Tambuwal contrasted banditry with Boko Haram, describing the latter as ideologically driven, while bandits are fragmented and profit-driven.
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