The Director-General of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, says negotiating with bandits who kill Nigerian people is welcome as long as it keeps Nigerians safe.

Omotayo made this statement on Wednesday while fielding questions in an interview on Arise Television.

He was speaking on the security situation in Nigeria, especially the increase in the killing of Nigerians and even senior military officers.

“One clear thing is that the purpose of government is to secure its people and secure its assets.

“So I believe that any responsible government will look for all means always to ensure that the people are protected.

“Negotiating with Sheikh Gumi or any of those other forces doesn’t mean weakness in government. It’s welcome if it’s going to lead us to having our people secured everywhere in Nigeria.

“I agree that there has been an upsurge recently, but before now, we all will agree that we had some semblance of peace.

“And of course, anyone who is accepting, we know where all of this resurgence is coming from, and I believe that our security forces are going to be able to be on top of it once the necessary support is given to them,” he said.