Mike Ejiofor, a former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), has said the recent reduction in cases of banditry across the country could be attributed to the Ramadan fasting currently being observed across the country.

Ejiofor said this in an interview on Monday while responding to questions on the state of insecurity in the country.
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Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community. The holy month commenced last week.

According to Ejiofor, some of the criminal elements also participate in religious activities, noting that the current Muslim fasting is responsible for the lull in the issues of banditry, especially in the North-West region.

He, however, noted that contrary to some information being peddled in the media, the scale of banditry has not reduced in the country.

“It (banditry) is not coming down. There’s a lull, especially in the North-West; you know we are observing fasting now. So that’s responsible for what we think is a lull in the issues of banditry, especially in the North-West where it is very prevalent,” Ejiofor said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“Some of them too pray. They are religious people. They don’t come from the sky. At times, they also want to pray to God. Even an armed robber will pray to God to save him from his operations.”

Nigeria has in years been experiencing a series of security threats ranging from terrorism, banditry, militancy, cultism among others in several parts of the country