The decision by the Kaduna State government to negotiate a peace deal with terrorists that have virtually taken over five local government areas of the state as well as render major highways dangerous to ply, is on the face of it, a welcome step. The cost of terrorism to the country is too high to foreclose all respectable options that may yield peace and stability.
Precious human lives are lost daily while all forms of security that sustain a nation –food, energy, and job – are threatened to the point of stagnation. National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reports that in the one year of May 2023 and April 2024, 949 persons were kidnapped and a ransom of N2.2 trillion was paid to kidnappers.
Some countries, faced with the stark danger and damage of terrorism are, notwithstanding their public avowal, sufficiently realistic to engage in a negotiated settlement with the enemy.
The Kaduna State government…
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