At least seven notorious bandits have renounced violence and surrendered their AK-47 rifles to security agencies in Plateau State.
The Special Adviser to Plateau State Governor on Security and Coordinator, Operation Rainbow, Brigadier General Gakji Shipi (Rtd), who disclosed this while addressing journalists in Jos, the State capital, said that non-kinetic approach to security challenges facing the State has started yielding results.
General Shipi (rtd), who commended security agencies, the vigilantes and hunters in Wase local government area of the state for their efforts in recent times towards arresting the spate of banditry and other security challenges, said so far seven AK-47 weapons have already been turned in to operatives of Operation Rainbow.
He said the bandits were afraid to come out openly for fear of victimisation, but had willingly returned their weapons and renounced violence, adding that the increasing activities of armed banditry in the state made security agencies to shift their attention to other zones in addition to the areas considered as hotspots.
The Security Adviser further said that the feat was made possible with the cooperation from the Wase local government area authorities, leaders of the local Vigilante groups, the state chapter of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the DSS and the Police.
According to him, “For quite some time now, we have been taking a look at the security situation bedeviling the state and apart from the kinetic approach, we have decided to adopt the non-kinetic means to solve the problem.
“We have also decided to shift attention to other areas, especially Wase local government area, which had had fair share of armed banditry and the endeavours have started recording success.
“We have started negotiations with them and you know these negotiations take time and it also takes time to build trust and for them to show goodwill.”
Gen. Shipi, who did not disclose the number of bandits that had so far surrendered their weapons, added, “So far, seven AK47 have been returned and if we take it that one belongs to one bandit, that means seven of them have renounced banditry. But as I said, we are still negotiating.”
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