The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) on Wednesday joined the growing call for President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists in the country.
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the group said such a move would address the various security challenges bedevilling the nation.
NEF urged the federal government to explore all options in order to eradicate the scourge.
The statement read: “The Forum regrets that arguments over labelling bandits as terrorists wastes attention and energy.
“If labeling bandits as terrorists will substantially improve the capacity of the Nigerian state to eliminate this expanding scourge, the Forum supports it without reservation.
In any case, all lawful options in bringing this menace to an end must be pursued. Measures put in place to contain its spread should be diligently monitored and evaluated, and those that merely worsen the condition of living of the law-abiding population should be removed.
Governments should be sensitive to the possibility of severe food shortage in the next few months in many Northern communities, in addition to escalating cost of living which will combine to confront the poor with intolerable conditions of living.”
The National Assembly had in October asked President Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists in the country.
The parliament also asked the President to declare all known leadership of the bandits wanted and track them wherever they are for arrest and prosecution.
