NBAIS and the bandits

It’s a fact that any country bedeviled by insecurity cannot develop, because people will live in fear and investors will be scared
Bandits have over the years been terrorising Nigeria, especially, the  northern part, and the issue seems to be beyond government’s control, despite its efforts towards tackling insecurity.
This raises the issue of the role of the National Board for Arabic and Islamic Studies, NBAIS, in curbing banditry. NBAIS is a federal agency with the mandate to improve the quality of Arabic and Islamic studies, particularly for those studying Islamic studies in higher institutions.
Initially, the board was a department in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The major responsibility of the department was to prepare and mark Islamic schools’ final year examinations.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari expanded its scope. The board now has a governing council and principal officers, while some departments have been created to enhance Islamic studies through engaging rural communities.
Given the fact that illiteracy is the major cause of herdsmen becoming bandits, then below are some suggested solutions:
Government should, through NBAIS, put more efforts on nomadic education, since majority of nomads will no longer have interest in living in urban areas.

Government should create a department that will focus on sending Islamic clerics to herdsmen, so that they’ll know the implications of violence and the significance of peace, and also to ensure that they are not left behind in terms of social amenities.

Government should give nomads special and reasonable recognition in the board, so that they’ll not in anyway feel sidelined.
Last but not the least, government should introduce a programme that will engage both farmers and herdsmen in national economic development.
Abubakar Muhammad Sani,Kaduna [email protected]