The regime of the President, Major
General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), is not interested in negotiation with
bandits, terrorists and other criminal elements terrorising the country.
National Security Adviser, Maj-Gen.
Babagana Monguno (retd.) made the statement Thursday at a State House briefing
in Aso Villa, Abuja.
According to Monguno, the present
administration is not interested in negotiation with bandits, terrorists, and
other criminal elements terrorizing the country. He’s of the opinion that
dialogue with insurgents paints the government as weak and incapable and the
Federal Government will apply its full weight to deal with the criminals and
will not be blackmailed by any group of people into negotiating with those who
threaten the nation’s peace.
“While the government is not averse to
talking to these entities, these human beings, I have to be very honest, the
government has to apply its weight, that force that is required because you
can’t even talk with people who are unreliable people, who will turn out to do
a different thing and people who will continue to hurt society.
“So, basically, what the government
wants to rely upon is to deal with this issue by using all the assets –
military assets, intelligence assets to eliminate these people.
“If along the line, some of them are
ready to come out and talk and negotiate, when the time comes, we will do that
but for now, we can’t keep on dwelling on ‘Let’s dialogue’.
“Psychologically, it is not even good
for us, it paints the picture of weakness, it paints the picture of incapacity
and I, just like the governor of Kaduna State said, do not see any reason why
we cannot, with what we have, deal with these elements.
