FILES: National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu
National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has said the Federal Government is working to end banditry, restore public confidence and make communities safe for farming, business and education.
Ribadu said the government’s security goal was not only to defeat criminal groups but also to ensure that Nigerians could return to their farms, markets could operate freely and children could attend schools without fear.
The NSA spoke at the Sokoto Advancement Forum’s brainstorming session on: “Coping With Banditry in Sokoto State”, held in Sokoto._
Represented by the Director of Legal Services at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Barrister Zakari Usman Mijinyawa, Ribadu said security operations must be combined with good governance and community participation.
He said, “we must prevent attacks, dismantle criminal networks, deny unlawful armed groups safe haven and restore public confidence in the state’s capacity to protect citizens.”
According to him, banditry in Sokoto State has grown beyond cattle rustling, highway robbery and kidnapping, as criminal groups now threaten communities, disrupt agriculture and impose illegal restrictions on rural residents.
“These activities undermine public authority and threaten the economic foundations of community life,” Ribadu said.
The NSA noted that Sokoto’s location near the Republic of Niger and the wider Sahel region had added a cross-border dimension to the security challenges facing the state.
He explained that the situation required stronger intelligence gathering, border management, regional cooperation and action against the supply of illegal weapons and other criminal resources.
“We must therefore combine intelligence-led operations, effective border management, regional cooperation and sustained action against the supply of illicit weapons and other logistical support,” he said.
Ribadu added that security agencies must differentiate between hardened criminals and vulnerable individuals who could be influenced by criminal networks.
“Our response must also distinguish hardened criminal actors from vulnerable individuals who may be susceptible to recruitment, applying the law firmly while providing lawful pathways to disengagement for eligible persons,” he said.
Speaking on the impact of insecurity, the NSA said banditry had affected families, agriculture, trade and education in affected communities.
He said many residents had abandoned their farms because of fear, threatening food production and economic activities.
“The consequences extend beyond affected communities to the wider economy and national food security,” Ribadu warned.
He stressed that the success of security operations should be measured by safer communities, reopened schools, productive farms and restored public confidence, not only by arrests and recovered weapons.
“Our security strategy must protect both lives and livelihoods,” he said.
Ribadu assured Nigerians that the Federal Government, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would continue to strengthen its fight against terrorism and armed criminality through military operations, intelligence gathering, law enforcement, border security and cooperation among security agencies.
He also praised security personnel and citizens supporting peace efforts, promising continued government support to improve the welfare and operational capacity of security agencies.
