Political commentator Shehu Gazali Sadiq has insisted that a more appropriate description for bandits and ‘unknown gunmen’ should be ‘terrorists’.
In the past few years, the identity of these Bandits was largely unclear. But the elevation of attacks and the atrocities they commit has created a pattern.
Survivors, eyewitnesses and security sector sources have indicated an increasing collaboration between these groups and other foreign affiliates with identical ideological goals.
A common atrocity is the invasion of communities, destroying houses, property and crops. The motive appears to be to displace people and occupy their arable lands.
To finance their operations, bandits have been kidnapping civilians for ransom.
Several accounts indicate a growing relationship between the bandits and the violent extremist organisations in the north-east. Official communication within government agencies indicates that Boko Haram is training and equipping bandits.
READ MORE: Only a Fool Believes APC Has no Hand in Terrorism in Northern Nigeria — Shehu Gazali Sadiq
The late Boko Haram leader also indicated the relationship between his group and the bandits in the north-west and north-central regions.
The atrocities and motivation of the bandits have assumed an insurgent-type criminality. This explains why @Shehusky, in a post on X, insisted that the groups must be labelled as terrorists or insurgents.
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