Human rights activist and lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has condemned the Federal Government’s continued negotiation, payment, and amnesty for bandits and terrorist groups.
The activist in a statement he shared with NewsNGR on Monday warned that the policy amounts to indirect financing of terrorism and poses grave risks to Nigeria’s long-term national security.
Adeyanju argued that terrorism and banditry are criminal acts that should be addressed through law enforcement and the justice system, not dialogue or appeasement.
“The continued negotiation, payment, forgiveness, and appeasement of bandits and terrorists by the government amounts to indirect financing of terrorism,” he said.
“These are criminals who should be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed, not hosted in Government Houses or rewarded with concessions,” he stated.
Adeyanju dismissed the idea that armed groups could be reformed through negotiations, insisting that violence against the state and its citizens should never be incentivized.
“Terrorists do not repent, and banditry is not a misunderstanding that can be settled across negotiation tables,” he stated, adding, “Forgiving terrorists is alien to any serious state. It sets a dangerous precedent and sends the message that taking up arms, killing citizens, and destabilizing the country pays.”
According to him, such policies embolden other criminal elements “to bear arms knowing that the government will eventually negotiate, compensate, and even beg them.”
The activist also questioned what he described as a double standard in the government’s handling of security-related cases, drawing a comparison between the treatment of armed groups and that of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
“These terrorists have committed far worse crimes than Nnamdi Kanu, who, whatever the allegations of incitement, did not physically kill anyone,” Adeyanju said.
“Yet thousands of Nigerians have been slaughtered by terrorists who are now being embraced by our government,” he lamented.
He warned that the policy of amnesty and appeasement undermines the rule of law and “threatens the foundation of national security in the long run,” stressing, “A state that rewards violence cannot guarantee the safety of its citizens.”
Adeyanju called on the government to abandon negotiations with armed groups and instead strengthen law enforcement, intelligence gathering, and judicial processes to restore security and accountability across the country.
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