Tambuwal disclosed this while noting that banditry in
Nigeria is a combination of both foreign and Nigerian elements.

He made the remarks while appearing on Channels Television’s
programme, Politics Today.

According to Tambuwal: “We did engage bandits through back
door channels.

“Bandits are a combination of foreign elements and
Nigerians. With the problems in the Sahel, particularly in Libya downwards, we
have been having this problem and people don’t remember that this problem did
not start today.

“Remember when Chad was like a state, there was an influx of
arms into the country as far back as the 80s, so this problem has been there
for a long time in the Sahel.

“Our borders are not properly manned, so you can’t say that
there are no foreign elements in this banditry, there are, it’s criminality,
it’s business to them and they are making money out of it.

“Boko Haram, you can say that they have a command structure
and they are ideologically driven but banditry, yes they have some leadership
but even among them, they fight themselves, so it’s hard to understand.”