State governments in the region have over the past few years granted amnesty to repentant bandits to regain peace in their territories.

However, El-Rufai said in an interview with BBC Hausa that he doesn't believe bandits can repent after having a taste for millions in proceeds of crime.

The governor said the recent attempt by Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi to broker peace between bandits and state governments will not work because the bandits don't believe in religion.

He said, "Why should they be compensated after killing people? They destroyed their houses. Who offended them?

"If any ‎bandit is arrested in Kaduna State, the bandit will be killed because Kaduna is in war with bandits."

El-Rufai noted that cooperation between state governments is a more effective weapon against the bandits.

He said the governors must be united in strategy to rid the region of a wave of crime that has resulted in the death of thousands and devastation of numerous lives.

In contrast to El-Rufai's comment, Zamfara's Governor Bello Matawalle said last week the opinion of critics will not stop him from negotiating with bandits who want to surrender peacefully.

He said, "We have seen the positive impacts of this deal. If we know that force can stop the attacks, we won't bother to have a dialogue with the armed men."

Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has also repeatedly negotiated peace with bandits even after admitting that they have betrayed such peace deals at least twice in the past.

The efforts of the governors have not done significantly enough to curb the activities of bandits in the region, with deaths and abductions recorded on a daily basis.

El-Rufai's comments to BBC Hausa follow last weekend's killing of 19 people in two villages in Kaduna, one of the most troubled by bandit activities.

He has repeatedly urged security forces to gain control of the situation and protect law-abiding citizens from harm.