The Arewa Think Tank (ATT), a prominent Northern group, has expressed its support and enthusiasm over President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the military to eliminate banditry by 2025. The group’s convener, Muhammad Yakubu, described the President’s order as a positive development that has rekindled hope in the current administration’s ability to effectively address insecurity.
Yakubu cited the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, who recently revealed that President Tinubu had instructed the military to put an end to banditry by next year. “We are pleased to hear that Matawalle shared this directive with members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at his Gusau residence and assured them that the military would fully comply with the President’s orders,” Yakubu said in a statement issued in Kaduna on Monday.
He commended the President for his decisive action, calling the directive a clear reflection of Tinubu’s commitment to ending banditry, kidnapping, and general insecurity in the country. Yakubu further praised the President for not politicizing the security issue, noting that this bold move, alongside the allocation of the largest share of the 2025 budget to defense, highlights the administration’s seriousness in tackling these challenges.
However, Yakubu cautioned that the success of the directive would depend largely on the military’s ability to address the issue of informants who assist the bandits. “We urge the Federal Government and military leadership to confront the challenge posed by informants so that President Tinubu’s directive can be successful. The key challenge right now is winning the war against bandits across the country,” he stated.
Additionally, Yakubu called on politicians to avoid mixing politics with security matters, as such actions could undermine the military’s efforts and morale. “We believe the informants are often members of the communities who betray their own for financial gain. Politicians must refrain from using security issues for political leverage, as this could discourage our military from doing their duty to protect the nation and its people,” he added.
The ATT convener expressed confidence that the President’s directive would lead to positive outcomes, urging Nigerians to be patient and allow the administration up to two years to deliver on its promises.
