Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai says there is no other approach to ending insurgency in the country than to “wipe out in their entirety” criminals that take up arms against the state.
The governor said this on Thursday during a town hall meeting on National Security in Kaduna.
He said: “These bandits have lost their right to life under our Constitution and must be wiped out in their entirety.
“We are in a war with these terrorists who are challenging the sovereignty and monopoly of the instruments of coercion of the Nigerian state and its territory.
“No one who is in a position of responsibility can deny the necessity for firm action in the form of proactive and sustained offensives against the criminals who menace us.
“Such security operations will not only cripple the outlaws, but will also reassure ordinary citizens, bolster the morale of the security agencies and provide an alternative focus for the energies that are being dissipated on fractious endeavours.
“Our security forces must collaborate to take the war to them, recover and restore the un-governed forests this terrorist occupy, and enable our law-abiding citizens to engage in their legitimate pursuits, including farming and livestock production, without fear.”