Banditry Will Become Terrorism If Not Checked — Ex-Reps Member

A former lawmaker, in House of Representatives, Aliyu Gebi, on Wednesday warned that banditry in the North-West region of Nigeria will turn to terrorism if not attended to in time.

Gebi further stated that the nation lacks the machinery to fight against security issues that are peculiar to different ethnic regions.

The former Chairman, House Committee on Internal Security stated this during a Zoom meeting organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies.

When speaking on Nigeria’s National Security Challenges: Setting the Agenda for Legislation, Gebu noted that, “Insecurity in the North-West has different perspectives which is mostly banditry but will eclipse to full-blown terrorism experienced in the North-East if not checked.”

The former lawmaker added that the North-East is the stronghold of Boko Haram insurgents and the North Central while bandits attack the North-West.

Gebu lamented that the Federal and State governments are still battling with ways to end insecurity in the country.

“As a nation, we have not yet developed the capacity and mechanism to defeat this organised criminal franchise. They have developed into ethnic criminalities. The federal government and other stakeholders should build consensus ownership of dealing with this insecurity.”

A Professor of African History, Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Ibadan, Isaac Albert, blamed the current state of insecurity on the unresponsiveness of political leaders to the ordeals of the frustrated masses.

“The present moment in Nigeria is the worst. We have been living in denial for a long time. Nigerians are increasingly frustrated by the low-level governance around them.”

“Nobody listens to them. Political leaders are living above their means. So when poor people don’t have anything, they will do something for you to look for their service. Insecurity is the product of how we’ve mismanaged the resources of this country.”