What’s in a name change?

After much public outcry, the federal government has declared bandits in the north-west and north-central parts of the country as terrorists. In the gazette, the federal government outlawed the activities of the bandits in the two regions and any other part of the country.

The federal government’s gazette, released by the office of the attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, warned members of the public not to participate in any activities of the group.

The gazette is titled, ‘Order declaring the activities of Yan Bindiga group, and any other group in any part of Nigeria as terrorism and illegal, proscribing their existence and restraining any persons or group of persons from participating in any manner whatsoever in any form in the activities of any of the group’.

Are we expecting the name change to change anything? I certainly don’t think so. At least it is good for the optics.

Sadly, bandits have made life a living hell for residents in the northwest and north-central. No doubt, the activities of bandits are the number one security threat in the country. They have displaced their nefarious cousins Boko Haram from the infamous list.

I heard unconfirmed reports the government could not use the Tucano fighter jets on the bandits because of an agreement with the US government. I hope that changes now. Come to think of it, since the government declared Boko Haram as terrorists, has it stopped the insurgent group from killings? In fact, they have killed more people since they were declared terrorists.

However, recently, the military are giving the insurgents a bloody nose and I commend them for that. They should sustain the momentum. Obviously, the negotiation tactics with the bandits have not worked. The governors of Zamfara and Katsina vowed never to negotiate with them again.

Kaduna state governor, Nasir El- Rufai, has called for carpet bombing of the forest to achieve a final victory against the bandits. Good idea but we risk losing people still in the captivity of the bandits in the forest. It’s a good idea if your family member or loved one is not still in captivity in the forest.

I feel the pains of the governors because Kaduna, Zamfara, and Katsina have been the epicenters of banditry in the country. Last year, the Kaduna State government revealed that over 888 people have been killed and 2,553 kidnapped in the state between January and September 2021. The government also hinted that 720 people were injured during the period.

Presenting the third quarter security report in Kaduna yesterday, the commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said 220 bandits were killed while over 12,000 cattle were rustled in nine months. Aruwan said 325 people were killed in the state in the first quarter, 222 in the second quarter, while 343 were killed in the third quarter, totaling 888.

The commissioner said that 949 people were kidnapped in the first quarter, 774 were abducted in the second quarter and 830 people were kidnapped in the last three months. Pointedly, the Katsina state government, also said bandits had killed no fewer than 213 persons and kidnapped 676 others across local government areas of the state between July and October 2021.

The government, however, added that some 724 suspected bandits and other criminals terrorizing communities in the state were arrested by security agencies within the period. Sadly, In Sokoto and Niger states, the bandits have imposed a levy on some communities. Such audacity.

Fortunately, last week the military bombed and killed some bandit leaders and their members. This is the way to go. Similarly, killing the leaders of the bandits and insurgents won’t end the war. We all know the ragtag bandits in the forest are not the ones spending the millions they collect as ransom.

The real kingpins are chilling in Abuja, Lagos, and big cities. We have heard stories of some bandits getting N10,000 after collecting millions as ransom. Name change or not, the military should end this war.