Governors reject planned scrapping of anti-bandit operation

A plan by Nigeria's federal government to scrap Operation Flushout II (OFOT), a joint army/police unit that fights banditry in the northeast of the country, has been rejected by the area's governors, 'The Guardian' reported. Local and cross-border banditry are rife in the northeast and, at a meeting they held recently in Damaturu, capital of Yobe State, the governors said the bandits would operate unchecked if the unit were abolished. They said OFOT should be strengthened rather than scrapped. Other security measures suggested by the governors included the provision of helicopters for aerial surveillance by the unit. They said this would help security forces dislodge the bandits from their hideouts in Yobe, Borno, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba and Bauchi states.