Why I negotiated with bandits, by Kaduna gov

• Amotekun ready for fleeing hoodlums in Ondo, arrests 300 in three months

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has shed light on his administration’s decision to negotiate with bandits, who terrorised parts of the state for over a decade.

However, the Commander of Ondo State Security Network Agency, codenamed Amotekun Corps, Adetunji Adeleye, disclosed that the corps was prepared to prevent fleeing bandits from penetrating the state.

Communities in Chikun, Kagarko, Giwa, Kajuru, and Birnin Gwari local councils were the hardest hit by the bandits’ reign of terror, marked by killings, abductions and destruction of property. Highways and farmlands have also suffered, leaving many residents in despair.

In an interview with BBC Hausa, Sani explained that persistent pleas from affected residents and traditional leaders drove the decision to pursue dialogue.

“It is the people affected by the violence that called for the dialogue,” he said, recounting how the Emir of Birnin Gwari, accompanied by his subjects, urged the government to explore peaceful resolutions after years of bloodshed and failed interventions.

To solidify the initiative, Sani reportedly consulted with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, and other key stakeholders before engaging the bandits.

A breakthrough came when the bandits released 200 abducted persons from Giwa and Birnin Gwari, which Sani described as a critical step toward restoring peace.

Expressing his commitment to safeguarding lives, Sani stated, “I’d rather negotiate with bandits than bear the weight of a single life lost in Kaduna. If not, I will be held accountable on the day of resurrection, having promised and sworn to an oath.”

The governor also refuted claims that ransom payments were made to facilitate the peace talks.

“Not a single naira was paid to them,” he said, crediting traditional and religious leaders for their role in ensuring the success of the negotiations, which spanned six months before being made public.

Sani remained optimistic about the sustainability of the initiative, noting the resumption of farming and business activities in previously troubled areas.

“They have released our people, and now farming and business activities have resumed. We will continue to pray, and I assure you that the relative peace we are enjoying now will be sustained,” he added.

ACCORDING to the Amotekun Commander, the move became imperative to ensure water-tight security following the influx of bandits to the South West region of the country.

Adeleye, who revealed this to newsmen at the headquarters of the security outfit in Akure, stated that his men arrested over 300 suspected criminals in the state in the last three months.

While stressing that the suspects were arrested across the 18 local councils of the state, he emphasised that most of the suspects arrested in the border communities of the state were linked to criminal activities such as kidnapping and armed robbery.

He said, “We rely heavily on grassroots intelligence. In the last three months, we have arrested and paraded over 300 suspects across approximately 15 locations in the 18 local councils of the state.

“Most of them were apprehended in connection with crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery, housebreaking and other minor offences.”

Some of these suspects have been prosecuted in court, while others had their cases resolved. However, many of them remain in correctional centres across the state.

“We also have ‘Amotekun Ambassadors’, who operate discreetly within communities as part of our intelligence unit. These ambassadors move across towns and villages, gathering grassroots information to help identify bad actors who collaborate with criminals. This system has been yielding remarkable results for us.”