A diplomat and chieftain of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Orefo Onochie, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to consider the option of negotiating with bandits, if that would put an end to criminalities in the country.

Onochie, during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, said negotiating with the bandits might make them embrace peace, and it could prove a wiser option in the long run.

The former Nigerian envoy to the Philippines and Algeria argued that Nigeria should not continue to be held hostage by terrorists, especially in the north.

He also expressed worry over what he described as the persistent cases of kidnappings and killing of farmers by herdsmen in farming communities in parts of the country.

The PDP stalwart recalled that the Federal Government during the administration of former President Umaru Yar’ Adua had negotiated and rehabilitated Niger Delta militants.

Onochie said that some of the militants were later to become engineers and pilots after undergoing trainings abroad.

He stressed that the same gesture could be extended to the bandits to ensure lasting peace in Nigeria, noting that: “cost of rehabilitation will certainly be less than the total cost of fighting for 11 years”.

Onochie, who was also a former Special Adviser to the Delta State Government, expressed his desire to contest the presidency in 2023, to put things right for Nigerians.

“Nigeria is at cross-roads and unless the right thing is done, the country may have greater problems in the years ahead,” he said.