Group Raises Concern Over ‘Peace Meeting’ Between Zamfara, Katsina State Officials With Notorious Bandits

A civil society group, the Citizens for Equity and Justice Initiative (CEJI), has condemned the governors of Zamfara and Katsina states over a widely criticised peace meeting held with Ado Aleru, a notorious bandit leader long declared wanted by security forces.

The meeting, held Saturday in Bichi community, Danmusa LGA of Katsina, was attended by traditional rulers, local government officials, representatives of the Nigerian Army, and top officials from both states. In widely circulated video footage, Aleru — who has a N5 million bounty on his head — was seen addressing the gathering, urging for peaceful coexistence between Fulani herders and farming communities.

Aleru has been linked to countless acts of terror and bloodshed in the north-west, with human rights organisations accusing him of orchestrating mass killings, mass kidnappings, and the displacement of thousands. His reemergence, not in handcuffs but at the centre of state-sanctioned negotiations, has sparked outrage across the country.

CEJI, a non-partisan watchdog focused on justice and rule of law, said the presence of state officials and security personnel at a meeting where Aleru was not only welcomed but offered a platform to speak, was a complete betrayal of the Nigerian people and an affront to every citizen who has lost a loved one to bandit violence.

In a statement 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 same governors who, while campaigning, condemned so-called peace deals with blood-stained warlords,” Sarki said.

“Now in power, they are doing precisely what they once derided — normalising criminals as stakeholders in the governance process, even as tens of thousands of citizens remain unaccounted for due to the very violence these men unleashed.”

The group referenced a 2023 report by Amnesty International which estimated that more than 10,000 Nigerians have been killed and tens of thousands more displaced in the past two years alone as a result of banditry and communal violence in the northwest. In that context, CEJI described the peace parley as a “moral collapse of governance”.

“You do not negotiate with terrorists in the open, not when the blood of their victims is still drying, not when they remain armed, wanted, and unrepentant. It is a dangerous precedent that delegitimises state authority and emboldens violent actors,” Sarki added.

Governor Lawal of Zamfara had, in August 2023, publicly ruled out dialogue with bandits, describing such moves as “a failed strategy that has only given criminals more time to regroup and rearm.”

Similarly, Governor Radda had dismissed earlier peace talks under his predecessor as “a misguided approach that rewarded impunity.”

CEJI said both governors must be held to account for clearly contradicting their own policy positions and exposing the public to more insecurity.

“The Nigerian state cannot simultaneously claim to be fighting insecurity while its chief executives are sharing stages with those they should be arresting. This is a contradiction that weakens the rule of law and puts lives at risk,” Sarki said.

The group called on the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately investigate the circumstances under which Ado Aleru was allowed to surface freely and publicly despite his wanted status.

“It is unacceptable that a man declared wanted since 2020 was able to move around with such impunity, engage state actors, and issue statements without fear of arrest. The implication is that there may be state complicity in shielding these actors, which is a grievous national security breach,” the statement added.

The group also urged the National Human Rights Commission and international partners to investigate the meeting as a possible violation of Nigeria’s obligations under international law.

“Negotiating with known perpetrators of crimes against humanity, in full view of the security agencies and the public, without any form of justice or accountability, is a breach of international norms and values,” CEJI stated.

It called on the governors to issue public explanations for their roles in the meeting and to clarify whether their administrations now officially recognise violent non-state actors as peace partners.

“If the governors of Katsina and Zamfara can legitimise a fugitive bandit in the name of peace, what will stop every other violent group from demanding the same treatment?” Sarki asked.

“That meeting undermines the rule of law. It tells victims there is no justice. It tells future terrorists that with enough weapons and violence, they too can get invited to state dinners.

“We strongly condemn that so-called peace meeting and urge the security agencies to investigate that highly provocative gathering.”