HOTPEN – The Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, has said the region is happy with the declaration of bandits as terrorists
He also added that the region commends the deployment of the recently acquired Super Tucano jets to fight the bandits.
Governor Lalong was speaking to State House Correspondents on Friday, after he met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said: “In terms of security, we are already beginning to see progress on some of the issues we raised with the president, last year. You recall that we have been very eager to see the use of the Tucano helicopters so that we can have massive engagement with all the bandits.
“Part of the problem was also the status of the bandits and already you can see that the Nigerian government has declared them as a terrorist group so, the military is now going to do full engagement and we are also getting prepared in the North for such actions. That is what we are expecting.
So, if we are going to take action, let it be massive and such that will ensure that within the first quarter of this year people will have hope of their security and peaceful living in all parts of the North.”
Mr Lalong said action needs to be taken against the bandits before the next farming season, to guarantee the safety of farmers, towards a bumper harvest.
“We are expecting this action before the next rainy season. You recall we mentioned that we are an agrarian society so, we want our people to go back to the farm and in most cases, it is this insecurity that is keeping them away from the farms,” he added.
Mr Lalong said Northern governors would continue to collaborate with traditional rulers and local vigilantes to safeguard their domains.
He also said the governors’ forum has sent a bill on redefining the role of traditional rulers in governance and would ensure the bill scales through the legislative processes.