The ongoing battle with banditry and terrorism in Nigeria isn’t a failure of military capability, but a lack of political will. That is the heavy accusation leveled by Adewole Adebayo, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, who claims that government officials are intentionally keeping banditry alive because it serves their political and financial interests.
Speaking during a recent interview online, Adebayo did not hold back. He argued that the federal government possesses more than enough power to wipe out criminal networks completely, but chooses not to act because certain figures rely on these warlords to secure victories during election cycles.
A Matter of Political Will
According to Adebayo, the timeline for ending the security crisis could be incredibly short if the leadership genuinely wanted it stopped.
“If I was President now, there would be no bandits. If President Bola Tinubu does not want bandits in Nigeria by Christmas this year, bandits will go away.”
‘’So, if the government wants to get rid of bandits, it can do it effortlessly. But government officials have complicated themselves.
‘’They need bandits’ leaders to help them win election and they need to make money out out banditry. They need to cover one thing or the other.
