A civil society group, the Residents for Fairness and Justice Initiative (CEJI), has condemned the governors of Zamfara and Katsina states over a broadly criticised peace assembly held with Ado Aleru, a infamous bandit chief lengthy declared wished by safety forces.
The assembly, held Saturday in Bichi group, Danmusa LGA of Katsina, was attended by conventional rulers, native authorities officers, representatives of the Nigerian Military, and high officers from each states. In broadly circulated video footage, Aleru — who has a N5 million bounty on his head — was seen addressing the gathering, urging for peaceable coexistence between Fulani herders and farming communities.
Aleru has been linked to numerous acts of terror and bloodshed within the north-west, with human rights organisations accusing him of orchestrating mass killings, mass kidnappings, and the displacement of hundreds. His reemergence, not in handcuffs however on the centre of state-sanctioned negotiations, has sparked outrage throughout the nation.
CEJI, a non-partisan watchdog targeted on justice and rule of legislation, stated the presence of state officers and safety personnel at a gathering the place Aleru was not solely welcomed however provided a platform to talk, was a whole betrayal of the Nigerian individuals and an affront to each citizen who has misplaced a beloved one to bandit violence.
In a press release issued on Friday, Dr Abdulmumin Sarki, CEJI president, accused governors Dikko Radda of Katsina and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara of hypocrisy and political cowardice.
“These are the identical governors who, whereas campaigning, condemned so-called peace offers with blood-stained warlords,” Sarki stated.
“Now in energy, they’re doing exactly what they as soon as derided — normalising criminals as stakeholders within the governance course of, whilst tens of hundreds of residents stay unaccounted for as a result of very violence these males unleashed.”
The group referenced a 2023 report by Amnesty Worldwide which estimated that greater than 10,000 Nigerians have been killed and tens of hundreds extra displaced previously two years alone because of banditry and communal violence within the northwest. In that context, CEJI described the peace parley as a “ethical collapse of governance”.
“You don’t negotiate with terrorists within the open, not when the blood of their victims remains to be drying, not once they stay armed, wished, and unrepentant. It’s a harmful precedent that delegitimises state authority and emboldens violent actors,” Sarki added.
Governor Lawal of Zamfara had, in August 2023, publicly dominated out dialogue with bandits, describing such strikes as “a failed technique that has solely given criminals extra time to regroup and rearm.”
Equally, Governor Radda had dismissed earlier peace talks below his predecessor as “a misguided strategy that rewarded impunity.”
CEJI stated each governors should be held to account for clearly contradicting their very own coverage positions and exposing the general public to extra insecurity.
“The Nigerian state can’t concurrently declare to be combating insecurity whereas its chief executives are sharing phases with these they need to be arresting. It is a contradiction that weakens the rule of legislation and places lives in danger,” Sarki stated.
The group referred to as on the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to right away examine the circumstances below which Ado Aleru was allowed to floor freely and publicly regardless of his wished standing.
“It’s unacceptable {that a} man declared wished since 2020 was in a position to transfer round with such impunity, have interaction state actors, and situation statements with out concern of arrest. The implication is that there could also be state complicity in shielding these actors, which is a grievous nationwide safety breach,” the assertion added.
The group additionally urged the Nationwide Human Rights Fee and worldwide companions to analyze the assembly as a attainable violation of Nigeria’s obligations below worldwide legislation.
“Negotiating with identified perpetrators of crimes towards humanity, in full view of the safety companies and the general public, with none type of justice or accountability, is a breach of worldwide norms and values,” CEJI acknowledged.
It referred to as on the governors to situation public explanations for his or her roles within the assembly and to make clear whether or not their administrations now formally recognise violent non-state actors as peace companions.
“If the governors of Katsina and Zamfara can legitimise a fugitive bandit within the identify of peace, what is going to cease each different violent group from demanding the identical therapy?” Sarki requested.
