A bandit leader in Zamfara State has called for peaceful negotiations after successive bombardments by the Nigerian military dismantled their hideouts.

This is coming as the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, announced that the Federal Government has stopped payments of ransom in freeing many kidnapped victims.

The bandit leader, who called himself Gabar Haliyu and spoke in broken English, appealed in a video while addressing members of his gang.

In the video obtained by PRNigeria, Haliyu said the negotiations became necessary to save lives and allow Governor Dauda Lawal Dare of Zamfara to run the affairs of Zamfara peacefully.

“I need to send a message to Dr Dauda Lawal Dare. As of today, we need to co-exist peacefully in Zamfara State. The continuous conflict will not give us the desire for peace for development.

“Looking at history, you can tell that negotiations are critical. The military attacked, and our cattle were taken away after the destruction of our houses. This is not a good thing.

“The government can achieve peace through negotiations. Attacks and counterattacks through violence that lead to deaths are not good.

“Not all Fulani are criminals. We are nomadic Fulani who want peace. The government should listen to our grievances, please,” Gabar Aliyu concluded.

PRNigeria gathered that some elderly and respected Fulanis, known as Ardos, have lately engaged the armed bandits to lay down their arms and embrace peace.

The Ardos played prominent roles by facilitating the recent releases of abducted students from captivity.

“The release of some of the abducted students was facilitated by ‘Ardos’ who are respected religious and community leaders among the Fulani.

“Ardos’s interventions were voluntary. That was why the usual ransom payments were not made; they are desirous of non-kinetic approaches in tackling herder-farmer clashes and banditry associated with Fulanis,” an intelligence source told PRNigeria.

Meanwhile, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has said the Federal Government has freed many kidnapped victims in the country without paying any ransom.

He also said that since the coming of this administration, the country has not had any organised terrorist attacks, adding that most of the roads hitherto unsafe for commuters are now secure for travellers at any time of the day.

Ribadu said this while delivering a paper titled “Navigating the Maze: Addressing Multi-Dimensional Insecurity Challenges in Northern Nigeria” at the combined convocation lecture of Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto on Thursday.

He said, “Since assuming office, we have successfully freed over a thousand individuals, many of whom were villagers held captive for as long as two to three years.

“We have successfully secured the release of abducted students from the Federal University of Gusau and school children in Kuriga, among others.

“These results were achieved without paying any ransom. Our approach utilizes evidence as the foundation of our non-kinetic strategies.” (By PRNigeria)

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