The Federal Government has stated that it will not destroy forests where bandits use as hideouts to carry out kidnappings in the country because the ecosystem will be affected.
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said this while speaking on a television programme on how to eliminate bandits.
He said the best solution to eliminating bandits from the forest was to have better consultation between the sub-national government, the federal government and security agencies.
The minister said: “We cannot destroy the forest because of climate change. The better approach is not to destroy the forest because it would affect the eco-system but what we need is better consultation with sub-national government and security agencies on how to secure the forest to make them safe for everybody.
“Those forests are used as hideouts but I think with technology today and when all our platforms are delivered, it will no longer be business as usual as the forest will not save those criminals and bandits but again we need the collaborative effort of everyone.”
The minister, therefore, assured Nigerians that security is a top priority in the Buhari-led administration.
Banditry has been a major security challenge the country has been faced with over the past months and the bandits are reported to be hiding in forests across the country.
