The Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressives Union (BEPU) has disregarded former governor of Zamfara state Sani Yerima's recommendation to President Bola Tinubu to negotiate with bandits, pointing out that such a step would compromise Nigeria's sovereignty and appear to give criminal forces credibility.

The Union said in a statement released on Tuesday that such calls reveal the supporters' lack of understanding of the structural makeup and conflicting objectives of the armed bandits operating in Nigerian forests and causing widespread destruction, death, and instability within the nation.

“Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressives’ Union (BEPU) urges President Bola Tinubu to disregard calls by Sen. Ahmed Sani Yeriman, former Governor of Zamfara state, and some other advocates, for negotiation with armed bandits.

“To successfully bring an end to armed banditry business in Nigeria, all bandits’ camps in our various forests must be dislodged; as anything short of this will only be a window dressing not lasting solution. Engaging in negotiations with armed bandits will never yield significant positive outcomes because past experiences have demonstrated that criminal elements such as armed bandits view negotiations as a sign of weakness of government, which embolden them to exploit negotiations as a means to buy time, regroup, and strengthen their positions to continue their violent activities.

"Experiences from many of such negotiations carried out with bandits by many states, local governments and communities in the Northwest region of the country show that the bandits only exploited the opportunity to receive more money, easily trafficked illicit drugs, acquired more arms and raped women including teenagers and married ones. In fact, all the communities and governments that entered such negotiations with the bandits later regretted it.

“Therefore we want to draw the attention of Mr President to the fact that going for such negotiation will bring setbacks and distraction in his administration’s perceived determination to bring lasting solution to the insecurity situation bedeviling Nigeria. Negotiating with the bandits will also send a dangerous message to Nigerians particularly rural dwellers signaling government’s incapacity, weakness and official acknowledgement of parallel governments within the Nigerian state,” the statement said.