Every Ransom Paid To Bandit Is An Indirect Funding For Terrorism

Banditry (Terrorism) has become a new crime economy so lucrative that its sustenance has been established on the suffering of the Nigerian citizen.

Every family member kidnapped by bandits is another million in the pocket of the terrorist. Another million to buy more weapon and further equip their arsenal. This system has become a stubborn bone in the throat of Nigerians particularly those whose unfortunate situation has compelled them to negotiate ransom payments with the bandits. Nigerians whose family member are in the camp of the terrorist must negotiate their release as that is one of the most viable means to secure their release. This particular approach is anathema, because it becomes a necessary evil, a bitter pill that must be swallowed.

We are at a great dilemma, in between the lion and crocodile infested pond, between choosing to withhold ransom from the terrorist and neglecting loved ones at the mercy of demonic fiends who would rather kill them than to release them without ransom. This is the unfortunate situation Nigerians have found themselves, this is how bad Nigeria insecurity situation has degenerated to.

If ransom would not be paid to bandits what then is the alternative? Military action, this is the best approach at remedying this situation. The Military must engage the terrorists(Bandits) without option of negotiation. They must fiercely engage in full action to rescue the victims and exterminate the terrorist. This is the only approach that guarantees long time solution.

If we must continue negotiating with terrorist and paying ransom to them, then we as a people must be prepared to live with the situation for a very long time, for as long as human greed exist because banditry may never end.

We must stop paying ransom to bandits and completely stop negotiating with them. Negotiating with bandits is romanticizing banditry. Every organised peace meeting with terrorist is directly normalizing terrorism and making a shame of intelligence. Terrorists are irrational people they do not reason like us, they do not deserve peace meeting and we do not need to pay ransom to them because every ransom paid to terrorist (bandits) is an indirect funding for terrorism. Ransom payments empower the bandits.