Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has raised an alarm over the growing economic incentives behind insecurity, stating that banditry has become so lucrative that perpetrators are unlikely to abandon the crime willingly.
Speaking on the challenges of ending the insurgency, El-Rufai highlighted the stark contrast between the traditional lifestyle of the perpetrators and the massive profits generated from kidnapping and cattle rustling.
“A Fulani man who previously spent nearly a year to earn about ₦100,000 from cattle trading can now make over ₦1 million in a single transaction through banditry,” El-Rufai noted.
The former governor argued that under such financial conditions, it is unrealistic to expect bandits to voluntarily return to their former way of life through simple persuasion or amnesty programs.
El-Rufai emphasized that the situation has moved beyond dialogue and now requires a firm, decisive response from the Federal Government. He stressed that the only way to end the cycle of violence is to make the “business” of banditry unsustainable through force.
According to him, only a combination of superior firepower and a functional legal system will compel the perpetrators to lay down their arms and restore peace to the region.
