Niger State Governor Umar Bago has stated that his administration will hold talks with bandits.
At the same time, Bago claimed that his administration had established a non-kinetic defense against robbers.
Following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Bago revealed this to State House Correspondents.
However, the Governor pledged to launch military action if the non-kinetic strategy fails.
According to Bago:
“We are looking at two options: first, non-kinetic, as a government, we have put in machinery to start talking to the bandits.
“We have also created a ministry for nomadic, and pastoral affairs to look at the issues of Fulani herdsmen.
“You also need to understand that Niger State has the largest congregation of Fulani.
“Niger State is 8.3 million hectares of land with bodies of water, and the environment is very good for grazing.
“A lot of Fulani across the world, not just Africa, converge in Niger State, so we don’t want them to leave, We don’t want any major military activities, We want to talk to them.
“But if we don’t get to that level of dialogue, then probably, we have to go fully military.”