Orji Kalu: I will smoke out bandits if I were president

Senate chief Whip of the Senate, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, has faulted government’s plans to enter into any negotiation or amnesty with bandits, saying “you don’t negotiate with criminal elements, rather you smoke them out.”
The former Abia State governor, who spoke in Minna shortly after meeting with former military president, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida at his Hill Top mansion, made it categorically clear that “if I were in charge, I will never negotiate with terrorists; never, they are terrorists and I will smoke them out.”
He, however, disclosed that in the next three months, the bandits would be shocked at what will happen to them, adding that the Federal Government is not sleeping over security challenges in the country.
“The government is strategising, they are building up momentum, they are building the force to intervene to save Nigerians from the hands of these criminals.
“The way out of the current problem we are facing is what the Federal Government is doing by replacing service chiefs. I am not going to say more. But, the bandits will be surprised at what will happen to them in three months.”
Senator Kalu said he was in Minna to commiserate with the governor, the two former heads of state and people of Niger State over the current security challenges, especially the kidnap of the Kagara school children.
“Niger State is like home to us. My two Oga’s (Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar) are here. It’s enough for me to come. We heard what happened and we came to see them, we are praying along with them for peace to return to the state,” he added.
At the residence of General Abubakar, Kalu charged former leaders in the country to offer their wealth of experience to help address the present criminal activities across the country, adding that, ”the security challenges is getting serious and a big challenge to our country, something needs to be done and very quickly. Nowhere is safe in the country, it is not a question of north or south, all Nigerians are concerned, we need to nip it or else our country will become a place where hoodlums will take over everywhere.”
Senator Kalu was also at the palace of Emir of Minna, Alhaji Umar Farouk Bahago, where he urged the traditional institutions to support government towards tackling the security challenges by identifying bad eggs in their domains.
He pointed out that traditional rulers have a great role to play in the current security situation because they are the closest to the people in the rural areas where the security challenges are high.