Niger: I will dialogue with bandits – Gov Bago

 Governor Umar Bago of Niger State has said his administration will dialogue with bandits.

This was as Bago said his administration had put in place a non-kinetic mechanism against bandits.

Bago disclosed this to State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Governor, however, vowed to activate military action if the non-kinetic approach fails.

According to Bago: “We are looking at two options: first, non-kinetic, as a government, we have put in machinery to start talking to the bandits.

“We have also created a ministry for nomadic, and pastoral affairs to look at the issues of Fulani herdsmen.

“You also need to understand that Niger State has the largest congregation of Fulani.

“Niger State is 8.3 million hectares of land with bodies of water, and the environment is very good for grazing.

“A lot of Fulani across the world, not just Africa, converge in Niger State, so we don’t want them to leave, We don’t want any major military activities, We want to talk to them.

“But if we don’t get to that level of dialogue, then probably, we have to go fully military.”