Minority Reps Urge Tinubu to Tackle Banditry in North

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently address the escalating terrorism and banditry in northern Nigeria. In a statement released on Friday, the Caucus highlighted the intolerable scale of killings, kidnappings, and displacements affecting communities in states such as Plateau, Niger, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Katsina.

They urged the president to implement a sustained and coordinated security operation to reclaim territories controlled by terrorists and criminal gangs, advocating for a strategy similar to that which successfully rescued schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State. Additionally, the Caucus expressed concern over the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai, describing it as a form of political persecution and demanding his release.

They emphasized that their concern extends beyond el-Rufai, touching on the credibility of the federal government’s anti-corruption campaign.