Extend Hand of Friendship to Bandits — Arewa Chairman Tells Tinubu Govt

The Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Bashir Dalhatu, has called on the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider adopting a policy of engagement, dialogue, and amnesty for bandits operating across the northern region, insisting that a conciliatory approach may offer a more sustainable path to peace.

 

Dalhatu made the remarks on Friday during an interview on Arise Television, where he compared Nigeria’s ongoing battle with banditry to the militancy crisis that once engulfed the Niger Delta. He argued that the same amnesty programme that helped stabilise the oil-rich region more than a decade ago could be adapted to address northern Nigeria’s spiralling insecurity.

 

According to him, the successes recorded in the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme—despite its imperfections—demonstrate that violent non-state actors can be rehabilitated, reintegrated, and redirected into lawful and productive pursuits when the state adopts strategic dialogue instead of relying exclusively on military force.

 

“I remember very well when there was an amnesty programme in the Niger Delta during those chaotic times. And it has worked perfectly,” Dalhatu said, recalling how the federal government under the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua initiated the programme in 2009 to halt attacks on oil installations, kidnappings, and pipeline vandalism.

 

“They were given amnesty, they were sent to school, came back and became integrated into the system, and they are usable products and citizens of Nigeria. That aspect can also be looked at in terms of the north,” he added.

 

‘Bandits Are Products of Neglect’ — Dalhatu

 

Dalhatu argued that the roots of banditry lie deeper than mere criminality, pointing instead to decades of poverty, illiteracy, and government neglect in rural northern communities. According to him, many of the individuals now engaged in violent crimes grew up without education, economic prospects or exposure to social opportunities available in urban areas.

 

“Most of these bandits have not had the opportunity to go to school and have not had the opportunity to actually enjoy what we ordinarily do in the cities,” he noted, stressing that the lack of social investment in remote northern settlements created fertile ground for armed groups to thrive.

 

He maintained that while criminality cannot be excused, the government must understand the socio-economic conditions that enabled the crisis. In his view, a combination of dialogue, rehabilitation, and prosecution for serious crimes is more likely to yield lasting peace than sustained military operations that often fail to distinguish between combatants and innocent civilians.

 

“It’s just for the government to probably, while extending hands of friendship, make it quite clear that what they are doing is illegal and criminal, and those that are caught in the process are punished,” he said.

 

A Controversial Prescription for a Worsening Crisis

 

The ACF chairman’s comments come amid renewed national debate over how best to confront banditry, a phenomenon that has claimed thousands of lives, displaced millions, and destabilised communities across the Northwest and North-Central zones. States including Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Niger and Sokoto have suffered repeated mass abductions, attacks on villages, cattle rustling, extortion and destruction of property.

 

Security analysts warn that banditry has evolved from a loosely organised movement of armed herders and rustlers into a sophisticated criminal enterprise with international links, making it increasingly difficult to dismantle through force alone.

 

Dalhatu’s call for amnesty has, however, sparked mixed reactions. While some northern leaders agree that military force has not yielded the desired results, critics insist that granting amnesty to violent criminals risks legitimising their activities and undermining the rule of law.

 

Supporters: ‘Dialogue Has Worked Before’

 

Supporters of Dalhatu’s position argue that the federal government has previously used negotiation to end insurgencies. They point to the Niger Delta amnesty programme, which drastically reduced attacks on oil installations and restored stability to the region’s economy. They also cite the periodic release of abducted victims through negotiation by some state governments.

 

Proponents contend that many of the young men now involved in banditry are victims of structural poverty, chronic unemployment and the collapse of traditional pastoral systems. They believe that without social reintegration efforts, military actions alone will continue to push more youths into criminal networks.

 

Opposition: ‘Amnesty Rewards Criminality’

 

On the other hand, opponents argue that bandits are responsible for some of the worst atrocities in Nigeria’s recent history—including killings, rape, forced displacements and mass kidnapping of schoolchildren. Amnesty, they say, could embolden criminal groups and demoralise security agencies who have lost personnel in combat.

 

Human rights groups also argue that the circumstances of Niger Delta militancy and northern banditry are fundamentally different. While militancy had strong political undertones and a clear organisational structure, banditry is decentralised, motivated largely by profit, and involves hundreds of loosely connected armed groups.

 

Government Yet to Respond

 

As of Friday, the federal government has not issued an official response to Dalhatu’s proposal. However, President Tinubu’s administration has repeatedly emphasised that it is open to both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches in dealing with insecurity.

 

In recent months, the government has increased military deployments in the Northwest, launched several airstrikes on bandit camps, and invested in new surveillance technologies. Yet, attacks continue unabated, raising questions about the sustainability of a military-first strategy.

 

A Region Seeking Answers

 

Dalhatu’s comments reflect growing frustration across northern Nigeria, where residents continue to live under fear despite years of security operations. Communities, especially in rural areas, complain of being trapped between ruthless bandits and overstretched security forces.

 

For many, the debate is no longer just about ideology but about survival. Whether the federal government will consider an amnesty programme—or whether such a plan would succeed if implemented—remains to be seen.

 

But as insecurity persists, Dalhatu’s call for the Tinubu administration to extend a “hand of friendship” may fuel new conversations on the need for a holistic, realistic, and humane approach to resolving one of Nigeria’s most pressing crises.