A former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, on Thursday identified why there is little or no banditry in the Southwest.
Shittu said the level of education was the reason why the region has little or no record of banditry.
Featuring on Arise TV Morning Show, the former Minister said bandits are people rebelling due to lack of education.
Shittu, who was a minister under former President Muhammadu Buhari said: “Why there is no banditry in the southwest is because we chose to educate the children.
“When you fail to educate people, over the years they will grow up to find out that the social inequality like some people enjoying light, some driving cars, and they are left out. This makes them start rebellion against the society.
“What is happening in the Northwest and Northeast in particular is a rebellion against the neglect of the poor.
“Now that we have the issue of banditry on our hands, we have over the years been spending billions of naira in kinetic approach and it’s because people left out of education and civilization that Westernization brings about are rebelling.”
This follows Shittu’s advice to the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government to give bandits a promising future by negotiating with them.
He said most of the bandits are able-bodied men who the Federal Government should retain.
The former Minister said a non-kinetic approach in dealing with banditry would bring about a lot of results.