Nigeria: Negotiating With Bandits'll Enrich Them, Not Good Strategy - Ganduje to Kwankwaso

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a This Day report, says former All Progressives Congress national chairman Abdullahi Ganduje has criticised the idea of negotiating with armed bandit groups, arguing that such talks would strengthen rather than weaken criminal networks. Ganduje spoke at a press conference in Abuja in response to reported comments by Nigeria Democratic Congress vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso that he and presidential candidate Peter Obi would engage terrorists in talks if elected in 2027.

Ganduje said security operations should rely on agencies including the Air Force, Army, Navy, police and Department of State Services, rather than direct bargaining with armed groups. He argued that allowing gunmen to come out of forests for negotiations with local leaders or officials could lead to payments, logistics support or freedom of movement that would help them expand their activities. In his view, ransom-driven kidnapping and negotiation cycles can give armed groups more resources to buy weapons and create further insecurity.

The report also cites Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo, who praised President Bola Tinubu’s stance against negotiating with criminals after a meeting at the State House in Abuja. Ododo said Tinubu advised him not to bargain with criminal groups when he became governor, and he linked that approach to what he described as improved security and successful student rescues in Kogi State.

The debate matters because Nigeria continues to face insecurity from banditry, kidnapping and insurgent violence in several regions. The article presents a political disagreement over whether engagement with armed groups can reduce violence or instead incentivise more crime.