Suggestions




··

Atiku: Peace Deals with Bandits Favour Criminals, Not Victims

January 22, 2026
by
Proposed VAT, Petrol Price Hike Will Deepen Cost-of-living Crisis – Atiku
Atiku Abubakar

Nigeria’s former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has criticised government negotiations with armed bandits, saying such deals benefit criminals while failing those affected by the violence.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Mr Abubakar said bandits frequently break the terms of agreements reached with authorities, making the approach ineffective.

“Those peace deals always favour the bandits more than their victims, and they have always fooled the government’s negotiators,” he said.

Join our WhatsApp Channel

Mr Abubakar said it was difficult to deter criminal groups when state governors were, in his words, “on their knees begging bandits in the name of peace deals”.

While stressing that he was not opposed to dialogue as a way of ending violence, he argued that negotiations had become counterproductive when armed groups were allowed to dictate the terms.

“Nigerians are no longer impressed by the powerful language of condemnation by the government. They’re more interested in results than rhetoric,” he said, adding that past experience showed that “if rhetoric were enough to deter the bandits, the menace would have ended a long time ago”.

Several state governments in north-western Nigeria, including Katsina, have pursued talks with bandit groups in an attempt to curb attacks and kidnappings.

Katsina State is reported to be facilitating the release of about 70 suspected bandits in custody, a move officials say is aimed at strengthening community-based peace agreements with so-called repentant fighters.

Mr Abubakar, a senior figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said President Bola Tinubu’s administration must be held accountable for its pledge to end insecurity.

“As a former opposition party, the APC held the then government to the harshest standards,” he said. “The Tinubu administration must be held to the same standards.”

ADC Faces Internal Tensions as Atiku Emerges Front-Runner for 2027 Ticket

Countdown to 2027: Abba Atiku’s Defection Sparks Early Election Chess Moves

Atiku Calls for Release of Detained Critic, Accuses Tinubu Government of Repressing Dissent

He also condemned the abduction of more than 100 people in Kajuru local government area of Kaduna State on Sunday, saying it was worrying that communities were being attacked “unchallenged”.

“It is colossally embarrassing to see non-state actors holding the country hostage and taking people again and again without resistance,” he added.

+ posts

Prosper Okoye is a Correspondent and Research Writer at Prime Business Africa, a Nigerian journalist with experience in development reporting, public affairs, and policy-focused storytelling across Africa

Prosper Okoye

Prosper Okoye is a Correspondent and Research Writer at Prime Business Africa, a Nigerian journalist with experience in development reporting, public affairs, and policy-focused storytelling across Africa

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Posts

Previous Story

EFCC Returns ₦1.2bn Recovered from Construction Firm to Enugu State

2023 Elections: Governors, Candidates Who Won, Lost At Supreme Court
Next Story

Governor Abba Vows to Sign Death Warrants for Convicted Killers of Dorayi Family, Hanifa, Gezawa Arsonists

Featured Stories

Related Posts

Latest from Nigeria

Tinubu Renews Tenure of Three Permanent Secretaries

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the renewal of tenure for three permanent secretaries in the federal civil service for a second and final four-year term, the government said on Friday. The renewal, which takes effect from April 27, 2026, affects Kachallom

‘Agitation for More State Creation Must Continue’ — Diri

The governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, on Friday urged the Ijaw ethnic nationality to continue pressing for the creation of additional states, saying the long-standing campaign for constitutional restructuring in Nigeria must persist. Speaking at the 2026 national convention of the

Tinubu Posts 65 New Ambassadors, Including to UN

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the posting of 65 ambassadors to foreign missions and the United Nations, the presidency announced Friday. The appointments include 31 career diplomats and 34 non-career envoys, all of whom were confirmed by the Senate last December.
Previous Story

EFCC Returns ₦1.2bn Recovered from Construction Firm to Enugu State

2023 Elections: Governors, Candidates Who Won, Lost At Supreme Court
Next Story

Governor Abba Vows to Sign Death Warrants for Convicted Killers of Dorayi Family, Hanifa, Gezawa Arsonists

Don't Miss

Specialist Radio Research Yields Tangible, Effective Results

Specialist Radio Research Yields Tangible, Effective Results

By Anina Maree and Karon Clare, co-founders of Ground Control

Kale Clarifies Iweala’s ‘Stable Economy’ Comment Amid Rising Public Anger

Former Statistician-General of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Dr.