The glorification of banditry

Sir: The decision by Zamfara State Governor, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, to reinstate the suspended Emir of Birnin Yandoto, Aliyu Garba Marafa, who was suspended last year for giving a chieftaincy title to a notorious bandit leader, Ado Aleru, has generated mixed feelings.

The reinstated Emir had entered into a deal with the bandit leader to ensure peace in his domain. While that is standard practice globally and a commendable act, he went too far by giving the bandit leader a prestigious title: “Sarkin Fulani”, meaning the “King of Fulanis” in a ceremony that was attended by several bandits and officials of the state government. Aleru, in a media interview after the ceremony, had stated that he never asked for the title.

What the Emir has done is rewarding criminality and glorifying banditry. You can carry out back-channel communication and deals without the knowledge of the public. The Americans will always say that they never negotiate with terrorists, but they often do it in stealth.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, an American soldier who was captured in Afghanistan, was released in a prisoner swap for five Taliban officials detained in Guantanamo Bay, after secret negotiations between the U.S. government and the Taliban in 2015.

It will also not be out of place to posit that the Emir acted with the tacit support of the state government. That explains the presence of the Zamfara State Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, DIG Mamman Tsafe (retd.), who was the Chief Guest of the ceremony where Aleru was turbaned. And that of the Sole Administrator for Tsafe Local Government, Alhaji Aminu Mudi. The suspension of the Emir was likely a reaction to public outcry.

Now that the Emir is back on the throne, he needs to do damage control. He should revoke the title given to Aleru. Or else, the message he is inadvertently sending to Nigerians is that Fulanis are a nation of bandits, since their king is a bandit! There are numerous other ways to compensate Ado Aleru for keeping the peace in his domain.

•Peter Ovie Akus writes from New Jersey, USA.