A former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), has said having dialogues bandits is not the best option to combat banditry in the country.
He said this when a delegation of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum paid him a visit at his residence in Minna, the Niger State capital, on Wednesday.
Abdulsalami, however, said that the government would not have a choice in negotiating with bandits to secure the release of pupils and others kidnapped from the Government Science College, in Kagara.
He also urged the government to consider all likely alternatives to get the victims freed.
“Dialogue is not the best way but when you are the one wearing the shoe, what will you do? Our children have been abducted for over five days, even if you know where they are, it will be foolhardy to storm there and fight them because there may be casualties.
“Sometimes there is a need to see the best way you can talk to these heartless people to see how you can get these people released. But dialogue is not the best way.
“The law enforcement agencies need to work together to map new strategies on how to deal with the problem,” he said.
The NGF Chairman and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, also led his team to the residence of the former military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd), who spoke on the ordeal of the abducted Kagara children.
“The safety of the children is of the utmost importance for now. We want them to come out safely without anyone being hurt. Any measure the government takes to secure their release will be okay,” he said.
The victims of Kagara abduction have spent a week in the den of bandits.
