Afenifere, ACF, Ohanaeze, Middle Belt Forum Reject Katsina’s Plan to Release 70 Bandits
Prominent socio-political organisations across Nigeria have condemned a controversial plan by the Katsina State Government to release 70 suspected bandits as part of efforts to salvage a fragile peace agreement with armed criminal groups terrorising the North-West.
Afenifere, the Arewa Consultative Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Middle Belt Forum, and the Coalition of Northern Groups have all voiced strong opposition to the proposed amnesty, describing it as reckless, unconstitutional, and a direct threat to national security. The groups have called on the Federal Government to intervene and halt what they termed a dangerous capitulation to violence.
Religious and community leaders in Katsina State have equally expressed alarm, warning that the release could embolden criminal networks and expose those who assisted security agencies to deadly reprisals.
Katsina State has witnessed a sustained wave of violent banditry over the past four years, with over 1,500 civilians killed between 2021 and 2025 according to available records. Armed groups operating across several local government areas have carried out mass abductions, razed communities, and paralysed economic activity, particularly in agrarian areas where farmers have been forced to abandon their lands.
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The state government recently approved the release of 70 individuals facing trial or detention in connection with banditry-related offences. Officials described the move as part of a broader community-driven peace initiative involving dialogue with bandit leaders in exchange for the release of kidnapped victims.
However, this newspaper was unable to confirm on Monday whether the suspected bandits had been released. A correspondent who visited the office of the Katsina State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General was met with silence from ministry officials, who declined to either confirm or deny the authenticity of documents reportedly bearing signatures linked to the release.
The government’s refusal to comment has deepened public anxiety in a state that has endured years of bloodshed, mass kidnappings, and widespread displacement.
The Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Nasir Mu’azu Danmusa, defended the policy as a necessary component of peace consolidation. He said at least 15 local government areas had entered into peace agreements with armed groups, resulting in the release of approximately 1,000 abducted persons.
Danmusa likened the planned release to prisoner exchanges that occur during wartime, citing examples from Nigeria’s civil war and negotiations with Boko Haram insurgents that led to the release of some of the Chibok schoolgirls.
“World over, everyone knows that after a war is fought, there are usually prisoner exchanges. If you take Nigeria, for example, during the civil war, many prisoners were set free and exchanged between the Nigerian side and the Biafran side,” he said.
He listed specific communities where captives had been freed, including 310 persons in Sabuwa, 125 in Bakori, 62 in Dutsinma, and 60 in Danmusa, among others. He insisted that what the Ministry of Justice and the High Court did was lawful and that dissatisfied parties could seek redress in court.
The State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Bala Zango, in a personal opinion piece titled ‘Katsina Community Driven Peace Deal: When People Are Not Victims,’ argued that critics of the policy were often individuals who had not directly experienced the horrors of banditry. He maintained that communities ravaged by violence were more willing to embrace unconventional measures if they promised relief and safety.
Despite official justifications, the policy has met fierce resistance from a broad coalition of civic, religious, and security voices.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Monday, the Organising Secretary of Afenifere, Abagun Omololu, described the proposal as an affront to the rule of law and a grave miscalculation that could have national ramifications.
“Afenifere Think Tank unequivocally rejects the reported plan by the Katsina State Government to release seventy bandits under the guise of a so-called peace arrangement. This proposal is reckless, irresponsible and profoundly dangerous to national security,” Omololu said.
He argued that state governments lacked the constitutional authority to negotiate with terrorists, particularly without ensuring full disarmament, judicial accountability, and structured reintegration.
“We are deeply concerned that certain governors and local government chairmen have arrogated to themselves powers they neither possess nor are constitutionally equipped to exercise. Negotiating with terrorists, let alone granting them freedom without accountability, emboldens criminality, undermines the rule of law and places innocent Nigerians at grave risk,” he stated.
Omololu warned that insecurity unleashed in one state could easily spread to others, turning local crises into regional threats.
“Bandits freed in Katsina today may resurface tomorrow in neighbouring states or migrate southwards, continuing their murderous activities with renewed impunity. This is not peace-building; it is the redistribution of insecurity,” he added.
He insisted that any engagement with armed groups must be led exclusively by the Federal Government through the military and constitutionally recognised security agencies, and must culminate in unconditional surrender of arms, verifiable disengagement from violence, and lawful reintegration processes.
The Arewa Consultative Forum expressed similar concerns, urging the Katsina State Government to exercise caution and prioritise justice for victims.
Speaking in Kaduna, the forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur Muhammad-Baba, said any decision to release suspected perpetrators of violent crimes must place victims at the centre.
“Banditry constitutes heinous crimes with devastating impacts on communities. Any decision to release suspected perpetrators must place justice for victims at the centre,” he said.
Muhammad-Baba warned that gestures of leniency could be misinterpreted by criminal elements as signs of state weakness.
“The danger is that they may develop a sense of invincibility and feel encouraged to return to criminal activities. Government actions must reflect strength, not weakness,” he stated.
He also raised concerns about the potential for a contagion effect, where similar demands might arise in other states grappling with insecurity.
“There is the risk of a contagion effect, where similar demands are made in other states. Security is a federal responsibility, and it is important to know whether the Federal Government was adequately consulted,” Muhammad-Baba said.
Within Katsina State itself, religious and community leaders have voiced alarm over the implications of the planned release.
A religious leader in Katsina metropolis, Malam Umar Usman, urged the government to reconsider the decision, stating that those responsible for killings and destruction must face the full weight of the law.
“How can we, as religious leaders, support this dangerous move? Those who killed and destroyed communities should face the full wrath of the law. Honestly, we are not in support,” he said.
Aminu Jafaru, a ward head in the Modoji area of Katsina, warned that the release could trigger reprisals against security operatives and traditional leaders who provided intelligence.
“If these bandits are released, they will go after security operatives and those who gave information against them — village heads, ward heads and traditional leaders. Our people believe they will not stop their nefarious activities,” Jafaru said.
A youth leader in Kankara, who requested anonymity, said residents were preparing to seek legal redress should the release proceed.
“These bandits killed, raped and collected millions in ransom from us. The government cannot just set them free. If this release goes ahead, we will seek redress in court,” he said.
An Islamic cleric, who identified himself only as Mallam Umar, acknowledged the risks inherent in the plan but suggested it might yield benefits if properly managed.
“Like many others, I feared that we have no way of knowing whether they have truly changed or what they might bring back into our communities,” he said, noting the natural public anger when those who inflicted pain are forgiven and freed.
He added that further reflection led him to reconsider, especially given that the release followed peace dialogues in which the bandits’ counterparts specifically requested their freedom.
The Coalition of Northern Groups issued a strongly worded statement condemning the planned amnesty as a dangerous capitulation disguised as peace-building.
In the statement signed by its National Coordinator, Jamilu Charanchi, the coalition rejected the government’s justification for releasing suspected and convicted bandits.
“While CNG recognises the urgent need to end the bloodshed, kidnappings and destruction ravaging Katsina State and the wider North-West, we maintain that peace built on appeasement, judicial compromise and concessions to violent criminals is neither sustainable nor just,” the statement read.
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The coalition dismissed comparisons between the release of bandits and wartime prisoner exchanges, arguing that Nigeria was not engaged in a conventional war with a recognised adversary.
“Nigeria is not engaged in a conventional war with a recognised adversary. Bandits are criminal terrorists who have murdered citizens, raped women, razed communities and displaced families. Treating them as negotiating partners without first breaking their capacity for violence undermines the authority of the state,” CNG said.
It warned that releasing suspects facing trial as part of peace arrangements sent a dangerous signal to criminal networks.
“This approach tells criminals that violence pays, justice is negotiable, and the state lacks resolve. Communities continue to suffer renewed attacks even as concessions are made,” the group added.
The coalition also lamented what it described as the government’s silence on the fate of victims, stating that thousands of citizens had lost loved ones, farms, and homes.
“Releasing suspects without truth-telling, restitution and compensation amounts to a grave injustice. Peace that ignores justice does not heal; it deepens fear and resentment,” CNG said.
The Katsina State Coordinator of CNG, Abdullahi Kabir, argued in a telephone conversation with this newspaper that bandits were criminals and terrorists, and that comparing their release to a prisoner exchange in war was misleading.
“Releasing them before justice is served weakens the state, rewards violence, and encourages more attacks,” Kabir said.
“While CNG supports dialogue and reintegration in principle, it insists that negotiations must come only after the government has shown the ability to defeat and control violent groups. In Katsina, however, suspects are being freed while communities are still under attack, proving the peace deals are failing,” he added.
He further criticised the government for ignoring victims whose families were killed, farms destroyed, and communities displaced, describing the release of bandits without truth, justice, compensation, and accountability as a betrayal.
Beyond the North-West, other regional and ethnic organisations have expressed alarm at the broader implications of the policy.
The Middle Belt Forum described the plan as encouraging banditry and called for urgent federal intervention.
Speaking in Jos, the forum’s National President, Dr Bitrus Pogu, said the move set a dangerous precedent.
“People are killing, maiming and displacing innocent citizens, and instead of prosecuting them, the government is negotiating with them. This is unfortunate and dangerous. The Federal Government must intervene because Nigeria cannot continue on this path,” Pogu said.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo leaders also warned that the decision could have ripple effects across the country, with released bandits potentially migrating to other regions.
A former Vice-President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Silas Okeke, said the decision was unacceptable and invited more security threats.
“We strongly condemn this unacceptable decision by the Katsina State Government. It amounts to inviting more security threats in the country. Whatever happens in the North will affect other regions. Some of the bandits might run to other regions on being released and continue with their criminality,” Okeke said.
He added that the release would embolden bandits and lead to increased terror attacks on communities, farmers, and travellers, warning that the approach could enable armed groups to spread to other regions.
The Abia State chapter of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, through its head, Dr C. C. Okwuonu, criticised similar previous initiatives involving the training and recruitment of former militants into the military.
“When they release some of them (bandits), they train them and recruit them into the Army and all that, which is hopeless. That is not the right thing to do,” Okwuonu said.
The President of the Ijaw People’s Development Initiative, Austin Ozobo, also condemned the move, describing it as dangerous and a betrayal of public trust.
“We strongly condemn this unacceptable decision by the Katsina State Government. It amounts to inviting more security threats to the state,” Ozobo said.
He warned that the planned release would further undermine public safety and that the government could not be trusted to prioritise the protection of residents if the move proceeded.
“I believe the release will embolden the bandits, leading to increased terror attacks on communities, farmers and travellers. This approach to peace will only create more chaos. We reject this move and demand that the government prioritise the safety of residents. The planned release poses a serious threat to peace and security in Katsina State and requires immediate action,” Ozobo added.
A retired Nigerian Navy officer, Commodore Omatseye Nesiama (retd.), offered a measured perspective, acknowledging the psychological, emotional, and economic toll of banditry on the nation.
He stressed that no Nigerian would want the violence to continue, but noted that addressing the crisis required decisive and sustained security countermeasures to weaken the resolve of armed groups.
“Such actions should lead to casualties and arrests, including the prosecution of high-profile figures or a critical mass of bandit members. This is what creates the conditions for negotiation from a position of strength,” Nesiama said.
He added that the Katsina State Government might now be attempting to navigate this difficult balance, and that limited trade-offs could be considered to secure the release of captives on both sides, especially where innocent civilian lives were involved.
Nesiama emphasised, however, that any negotiation must be anchored on the state’s ability to first establish dominance.
“The key issue is creating a favourable environment in which negotiations are conducted from a position of strength, not weakness,” he said.