There is a mass movement of bandits from Northwest to Northeast, Governors from the Northeast have declared.
The governors said this in a communique after their meeting in Gombe.
Reading the communique after the meeting attended by governors of Adamawa, Bauchi Borno and Gombe, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni expressed worry that the mass exodus of bandits from the North-West region has made the relative peace in the region vulnerable.
Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State was however absent but was represented at the meeting counterpart, which was the seventh .
The governors called for a road map with the support of the Federal Government to dismantle the criminals.
They revealed that there is a connection between mining activities and insecurity, stressing the need for strict compliance with the Land Use Act.
The communique partly read, “The forum lauded President Muhammadu Buhari and the security agencies for their effort in combating the Boko Haram insurgency. It noted the improvement in the security situation in the region which had largely been achieved through kinetic and non-kinetic measures.
“The forum noted the relative peace being experienced in the sub-region, especially the reduced incidences of farmer-herder clashes, as encouraging. However, there is increasing vulnerability of the region to insecurity due to the mass movement of the bandits who are gradually being pushed out of the North-West by the security forces. On the influx of the bandits, there is an urgent need to launch a coordinated security road map in conjunction with the security agencies and the Federal Government.
“The forum noted the link between mining activities and insecurity, especially the abuse of the mining leases. It therefore resolved to ensure strict compliance with the provisions of the Land Use Act.”
The governors decried the power distribution in the region estimated at five per cent, saying the Federal Government should expedite action towards harnessing the potential of the Mambila power project.
