Bandits more educated, sharper than security operatives - Anglican Bishop

The Archbishop of Kaduna Diocese, Anglican Communion, Bishop Timothy Yahaya on Sunday claimed bandits and other criminal elements have higher academic qualifications and sharper intelligence than the nation’s security operatives.

Yahaya however argued for Nigeria to win the war against banditry and kidnapping, security men must be upgraded educationally in quick response to activities of criminal elements.

Speaking to newsmen at the premises of Christ Anglican Church, Kaduna shortly before ordaining five of his members into Priesthood and 12 others as Deacons, the cleric advised the Federal government to open depots across to recruit thousands of police and soldiers to wage war against bandits.

He also noted criminals in the bush have outnumbered security men fighting them, adding the minimum academic qualifications for the nation’s police should be a national diploma.

According to him: “We are supposed to open depots across the country to recruit soldiers and police in thousands to beat these men in the bush because it is like the number of the men we have in the bush have outnumbered our security men. We need a security emergency.

“Number two, our recruitment process has to change because these criminals are degrees holders, Master’s holders and if we must beat them, the minimum requirement for the Nigerian Police should be a national diploma so that we can have sharper people that can beat these modern criminals we have around.

“I want to say that the economy of Nigeria is very sick. We must do something about it. We are talking about diversification, it is not just with mouth to see the reality of diversification. Nigeria can feed the whole of Africa.

“And that will give us a clean economy in this country. We should make sure that whatever we are doing we should cause a revolution in the power sector.

“And I want to speak to Nigerians that if we want to move ahead, we must ensure the relationship between agriculture and industry and by so doing we will find out that our country will be great. And those in the ministry of trade, commerce and industry have to be very careful. We import toothpicks to Nigeria, we import envelopes to Nigeria, we import tissue paper to Nigeria.”