•Say, it’s insanity to engage in negotiations that never worked in the past
•Negotiations ‘ll embolden terrorists
By Ezra Ukanwa, Abuja; Peter Duru, Makurdi; Marie-Therese Nanlong, Jos & Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo, Kaduna
Northern leaders and stakeholders in the north have warned the Federal Government and Zamfara state government to stop playing politics with the lives of the people of the region following the face-off between them over the allegation that the Federal Government was secretly negotiating with bandits in Zamfara state without involving the state government.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, had accused the Federal Government of sabotaging the ongoing fight against banditry in the state by negotiating with bandits behind the state government. In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Sulaiman Idris, the governor said a delegation allegedly sent by some agencies of the Federal Government had been holding talks with bandit groups in Zamfara without the knowledge of the State Government.
The Minister of Information, in a statement by his spokesperson Suleiman Haruna on Tuesday night however denied negotiating with bandits and accused the Zamfara governor of politicising security matters. Reacting to the statement by the minister, Governor Dauda, insisted that the State Government possessed hard evidence of the Federal government’s sneaky negotiations with bandits, mentioning locations where such talks were held with bandits, such as Birnin Magaji, Maradun, Mun Haye, Ajah, Bawo, and Bagege. According to him, “We have facts and evidence on what had transpired between these agents of the Federal Government and the bandits during the negotiations in several places across Zamfara”.
He noted that the minister of Information should have conducted a thorough investigation before discrediting the state government. The Governor therefore warned that negotiating with bandits in Zamfara was a grave mistake, and not the solution to the problem as it would only encourage and embolden the criminals.
In their reactions, some leaders in the north expressed outrage that the Federal Government could be negotiating with bandits which never worked in the past and cautioned the government against such move. They argued that by engaging in talks with bandits, the government was indirectly legitimizing their criminal activities and creating a dangerous cycle of appeasement, adding that the move was sending a troubling message that crime and violence can be rewarded rather than punished.
It doesn’t make sense, it’s dead on arrival — Arewa Consultative Forum
In his reaction, the Spokesman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba argued that these negotiations are weakening the rule of law and establishing a dangerous precedent for other criminal elements in the country and expressed fear that this approach might inspire other groups to take up arms and engage in similar acts. Describing the move as ‘weak,’ he urged the Federal Government to reconsider its stance on negotiating with bandits.
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.
It’s incredible. We are a Federation, and the Federal government is in charge of all security forces but the governor is the chief security officer of the state. How can anybody, in any sense, engage in such an activity without involving the state government? Negotiation with bandits has not worked in the past, and there is no evidence that it will work. Look at the characteristics of those involved in the banditry; they don’t have a central organization, they don’t have a central leadership. What we know about them is that they are bandits who go about taking guns and taking the law into their hands. According to a report by UNICEF, there are over 300 such groups in Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara. So, if you’re going to negotiate with them, who will you negotiate with? Are you going to negotiate with over 300 groups? It doesn’t make sense. And of you’re going to negotiate, does it not make sense to involve the state government? In the video, the negotiation was being manned by soldiers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in a state where there is a governor, so it doesn’t make sense. I doubt very much if the central government or the presidency is aware of it.
Someone, somewhere, is trying to sabotage the government of Zamfara State; someone somewhere is doing that without thinking of the repercussions on the ordinary people in the rural villages and on students that are being harassed by these bandits. We heard on radio someone giving orders that the bandits should be allowed passage. Are you saying that they should leave Zamfara state and go to another state, and you’re providing them security coverage? This is a very terrible strategy and I call it dead on arrival.
It doesn’t make sense, whoever did that should be investigated and should be punished by the government in power. This is not just about sabotaging the government in power, it is also sabotaging the federal government efforts itself. You cannot do that. You cannot negotiate with a faceless group and allow them passage with their guns and everything. Our organization is not happy with that. There cannot be an end to this insurgency without synergy between the federal government and regional synergy in all the states that are affected by this banditry. From Sokoto to Taraba, from Kaduna state to Kogi state, from Borno to Nasarawa state, it has to be coordinated and a well executed strategy to involve all the state governments and communities that have been affected by this banditry.”
Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kaduna State, Rev Joseph John Hayab said “governments worldwide engage in activities behind the scenes to achieve specific goals or missions, especially regarding ending insecurity. Accordingly, even though it is not conventional to enter into an open negotiation with lawbreakers, some issues require decorum and maturity in handling.
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