Negotiation with bandits: Northerners warn FG to stop playing with their safety 

 

Following the confrontation between the Federal Government and Zamfara State Government over the claim that the Federal Government was secretly negotiating with bandits in Zamfara state without involving the state government, northern leaders and stakeholders in the north have warned the FG against  playing politics with the lives of the people in the region.

Zamfara’s governor, Dauda Lawal, accused the federal government of undermining efforts to combat banditry in the state by dealing with criminals in secret. According to a statement from the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, a team purportedly sent by various federal government institutions had been meeting with bandit groups in Zamfara without the state government’s knowledge.

But the Zamfara governor was accused of politicising security issues by the Minister of Information, who denied engaging in negotiations with bandits in a statement released on Tuesday night by his spokesperson Suleiman Haruna.

In response to the minister’s statement, Governor Dauda emphasised that the State Government had concrete evidence of the Federal government’s covert talks with bandits. He named specific locations where these talks had taken place, including Birnin Magaji, Maradun, Mun Haye, Ajah, Bawo, and Bagege. He stated, “We have facts and evidence on what had taken place between these Federal Government operatives and the bandits during the conversations in numerous locations throughout Zamfara.”

He pointed out that the information minister ought to have done more research before attacking the state government. The Governor thus cautioned that reaching a deal with the bandits in Zamfara would be a severe error and not the answer to the issue, as it would simply inspire and empower the criminals.

In reaction to the back and forth between the Zamfara government and FG, some northern politicians warned against engaging in negotiations with bandits, which has never been successful in the past.

 

By holding negotiations with bandits, they claimed the government was indirectly legitimising their criminal behaviour and encouraging a risky cycle of appeasement. They also claimed that the action sent the unsettling message that crime and violence can be rewarded rather than punished.

Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the Arewa Consultative Forum’s (ACF) spokesman, responded by asserting that these negotiations are undermining the rule of law and setting a perilous precedent for other criminal elements in the nation. He also expressed concern that this strategy might encourage other groups to take up arms and commit similar crimes. He encouraged the Federal Government to rethink its position on talking with bandits, calling the action “weak.”

He said: “How will you begin a negotiation in Zamfara state without involving the Zamfara state government? You and I know this is a serious aberration and should not be taken lightly. There is no way you can come into my house without my knowledge, even if we are of the same father, and start doing this kind of thing is not good.”