The Nigerian Army has asked all terrorists and bandits, especially those in the North-West region to surrender unconditionally, adding that there will be no negotiation with those who threaten the nation’s peace.
According to the army, the terrorists had continued to be given a tough time and their only option was to drop their arms and surrender to the troops.
The General Officer Commanding 8 Division, Nigerian Army, Sokoto, Major-General Godwin Mutkut disclosed this while addressing newsmen in Gusau, Zamfara State capital after Inaugurating RSM House at the 1 Brigade Cantonment.
“Nobody negotiated with them before they entered the bush, now that the fire is hitting them, they want to negotiate. Well, I won’t call it negotiation, they should just come out and surrender; negotiation is a trap, they have done it in the past and it did not yield any result, so why still repeating the same mistakes again,” General Mutkut asserted.
The commander noted that the army won’t relent in its continued effort to clear terrorists from the region.
He reiterated that the military would not negotiate with the bandits, but rather go after them in their hideouts to eliminate, advising that if the bandits wanted to survive from the hand of the troops, they should come out from their hideouts to surrender.
According to Mutkut, the troops had been going to troubled places like Zurmi, Shinkafi, Tsafe, Dansadau and other troubled areas in Zamfara State, in spite of the rainy season, dislodging the terrorists from their hideouts.
“Before now there are plenty places that we have not entered but as it is now, despite the rain we are going places where the bandits are not expecting, giving them bloody nose, if they want to survive, they should just surrender”, he said.
General Mutkut added that the bandits were now hitting on soft targets, especially on the sight of innocent citizens in the villages or highways.
He advised district heads and communities inthe state to form groups that would protect their communities when there was a distress call before the arrival of troops in the troubled area.
