The Bishop of the Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Rev Fr Matthew Kukah, has urged the federal government to interrogate individuals with claims of having close ties with bandits.
He spoke against the backdrop of recent questioning of renowned cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, by security agencies over his comments on bandits’ activities.
Kukah also expressed worry over the spate of kidnappings across schools in the country, adding that the abduction could have a psychological effect on the children.
The clergyman, who raised questions about the federal government’s failure to investigate individuals claiming close ties with bandits in an interview with Channels Television, said: “It is clear that the federal government at the highest level knows what is going on, at least the intelligence community has an idea.
“There are key Nigerians who are saying openly that they know more than they think the rest of us know, and I think it is the business of the federal government to find out those who claim to know where the bandits are, those who are collaborating with the bandits.”
His statement came shortly after 137 schoolchildren who had been kidnapped in Kuriga, Kaduna State, were released from captivity.