By Sabiu Abdullahi
Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said an NDC government would engage terrorists and other criminal groups in dialogue as part of efforts to end insecurity in Nigeria.
Kwankwaso made the remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He argued that residents of communities affected by violence often possess valuable information about those responsible for attacks.
“You see, all these things that are happening today, if you go to the localities, those places where these insecurities are happening, I can tell you people know almost everything,” he said.
“They know their locations, they know the names of all those involved, and so on and so forth.”
He, however, said many residents are reluctant to provide such information to security agencies because they have lost confidence in the system.
“But what is happening now is that many of the communities are even afraid to go forward and tell the security agencies or agents what is actually happening because many of them have done that in the past, and of course, they did not enjoy it,” he said.
Kwankwaso said his administration would restore public confidence and adopt an inclusive approach to addressing insecurity.
“We will give people confidence. We will work with the people, even the terrorists, and of course, the criminals themselves to see what can be done to discourage their action. We will talk with everybody.”
“And of course, if there is any issue that will require the services of the military or other security agencies, I can tell you, we will be very happy to do it,” he added.
Nigeria has faced an insurgency in the North-East since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its violent campaign.
Kwankwaso’s comments come weeks after Peter Obi said he would negotiate with bandits and other armed groups if they showed a genuine commitment to peace. Obi also stated that his administration would promote national unity and engage all groups willing to renounce violence and participate in rebuilding the country.