Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has called on state governments to cease negotiations with bandits, warning that such talks undermine military operations and encourage further criminality.
Gatekeepers News reports that in an interview with BBC Hausa, Musa said bandits “do not fear God” and are likely to renege on agreements reached during reconciliation efforts.
He specifically criticized the Katsina State government for its recent move to facilitate the release of 70 suspected bandits, describing the initiative as potentially counterproductive. Katsina had defended the release as part of efforts to consolidate community-driven peace agreements with “repentant bandits” in several local government areas.
“Negotiation with bandits is not a way out. Those people are not real, whenever they come for reconciliation, they need something,” Musa said in Hausa.
“What’s happening in Katsina—we told them, don’t ever make the mistake of reconciling with those people. They are liars. We begged people to stop negotiating with them, and the government should stop. It’s not right and they will surely come back again. They don’t fear God.”
The defence minister emphasized that such negotiations damage military operations, adding, “We already informed them it damages our work, we asked them to stop. You know it’s democracy now, not military rule. But we are in talk with them.”
Musa also addressed claims that the federal government pays ransom to kidnappers, rejecting them outright.
“Paying ransom is not good. People should stop paying ransom when they kidnap others. Reports should be made and actions will be taken,” he said.
“The federal government doesn’t pay for ransom. It might be other people, and they are doing that on their own.”
