TheCable

Sani Musa, senator representing Niger east, has called on security agencies to take advantage of Nigeria’s unemployed youth population to assist in the fight against banditry.

Commenting on the recent abduction of students, staff and family members from Government Science College in Kagara, Niger state, he maintained that governments across all levels need to put in more efforts to improve security.

According to the senator, who spoke when he appeared as a guest on a Channels Television programme on Wednesday, it is the duty of the armed forces to seek out the location of bandits and flush them out.

“This banditry we’re talking about in the axis of north-west to Niger state to north-central has been there for over seven years now. What do we need to do? We have a lot of youths; we have a generation that is being wasted. We have youths that have graduated with no jobs, nothing. Why can’t we make use of that? Why can’t you strive to engage and recruit in order to face the security situation in this country? Why can’t we do it?” he queried.

“Why can’t we get these funds, buy these weapons, equip these armed forces? Why can’t we make ourselves ready, and go into the bush to trace these people?”

Meanwhile, John Temlong, a retired military general and security consultant, said students should be trained to take evasive measures against abductions.

“I recently went to my alma mater and asked them what they’re doing in case this sort of thing happens here and the authorities were looking at me. We have to do something, so that you’ll train these children and build the capacity of the students to be able to take evasive measures should such things happen,” he said.

“It’s very sad; it shows that these children are just like sheep being driven to the slaughter if somebody comes at night to pack those number of children and then loads them in a vehicle. But if they had been taught how to take evasive measures, they would have been able to evade their arrest and run into the bush in different directions, and they would not be able to get those numbers.”

The retired military general also called on state governors to do something about insecurity.

“I think the state governors need to do something. There is a capacity gap in terms of security at the governance level at that level,” he added.