We’ve been asking Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists since 2017 — el-Rufai

Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has said his government wrote President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, letters since 2017 to declare bandits terrorising the North as insurgents and terrorists.

Speaking at the presentation of the Kaduna State Security Incidents Report for the Third Quarter of 2021 in Kaduna on Wednesday, the governor said; “we in the Kaduna State Government, have always aligned with the declaration of bandits as insurgents and terrorists.

“We have written letters to the Federal Government since 2017, asking for this declaration because it is the  declaration that will allow the Nigerian military to attack and kill these bandits without any major consequences in international law.”

“So, we support the resolution by the National Assembly and we are going to follow up with a letter of support, for the Federal Government to declare these bandits and insurgents as terrorists so that they will be fair game for our military. This is the view of the Kaduna State Government,” he said.

“This will be a surge in numbers that is unprecedented since the civil war. An influx of 774,000 new boots on the ground will be a significant blow against criminals and an employment boost,” he said.