A former lawmaker and human rights activist, Senator Sheu Sani has said that while the war against banditry and terrorism is far from being over, a significant improvement has been recorded by the military.
Sani in a post via his verified X handle on Wednesday noted that the last administration appointed Northerners to head all the security agencies in the country, but failed to deliver after hundreds of billions went down the drain.
He said: “National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu has just handed over 59 victims of kidnapping who were rescued by our security agencies to the Kaduna State government.
“This is one of the series of accomplishments that has been recorded in the nation’s continuous battle against terrorism and banditry.”
The former lawmaker stressed that the North has been demonised and dreaded for its endless terror attacks and incessant violence, bloodshed and kidnappings.
Sani added that Ribadu, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa and other Northerners holding some key security and defence portfolios are confronting the monsters headlong and delivering appreciable results.
He added: “The battle is far from over and it’s too early to claim victory, but it’s a proven fact that it’s long since you heard about mass abductions of pupils or students which used to be a weekly tragedy in the past.
“There are successes in eliminating some top bandits and terror leaders.Many victims of kidnappings are freed in good time in contrast to the past when they were kept as hostages for years.
“There are still security challenges in Niger, Zamfara, Katsina and even Kaduna but the difference is that the evil bandits don’t have the freedom and impunity as they used to have in the past.
“The Birnin Gwari road that used to be a death trap is now open and farmers and students feel freer and more secured.”
Sani noted that he also read about the repatriations of thousands of Nigerians who have been living as refugees in Chad for over ten years.
He added: “The ball is in the Northern court,its either to continue to encourage,support and reinforce the Ribadus, Musa, Matawalle or we align with their political foes and bring them down until they are replaced by others from Ekiti, Ondo or Cross River and then we activate the ethnic and sectional alarm.”