A retired military officer has rejected the idea that Nigeria can negotiate its way out of the banditry crisis. Brig.-Gen.
Maharazu Tsiga, former NYSC boss, made the call on Thursday in Kaduna.
Tsiga spoke at a press briefing organized by associates of late Maj.-Gen. Abubakar Rabe.
He argued that talking alone won't end the insurgency plaguing the nation.
Security is everybody's problem, not just the government's. He questioned whether negotiations work when criminal networks have wide backing across society.
Drawing from his time in captivity, Tsiga said bandits won't voluntarily stop through dialogue. They need to be confronted with force, he insisted.
"These people are human beings like us; they fear death and they fear being confronted," he told reporters. "If we remove that fear through decisive action and face them squarely, we will achieve more meaningful results than endless negotiations."
Tsiga highlighted a troubling reality many overlook. Informants and collaborators inside communities and government institutions actively support criminal gangs.
While in captivity, he heard bandit leaders discussing ammunition purchases. They were buying from government insiders, according to what he witnessed.
"Who exactly are we negotiating with?" he asked pointedly. "You may negotiate with the bandits, but those supplying them and profiting from the conflict will not allow peace to prevail because they are more interested in financial gain than the lives and property of innocent citizens."
Authorities must intensify operations against these networks, Tsiga urged. But the military cannot win alone without community support and intelligence.
"If the Army is doing its part and society fails to support those efforts, then we have all failed," he noted. "Security is a collective responsibility."
Communities must shake off the fear that paralyzes them. Bandits succeed because people are terrified, not because criminals are numerous.
"When only a few armed men can force hundreds or even thousands of people to flee, it shows the need for collective action," Tsiga observed. "Communities must work together with security agencies to deny criminals the space to operate."
Real peace requires a unified front across all levels. Security agencies, government bodies and ordinary citizens must act together against criminal networks and their sponsors, he concluded.
