BY Muazu Elazeh

I firmly believe there is no such thing as a repentant terrorist. As has been widely stated, the only terrorist who truly repents is the dead one. I also hold the view that there is absolutely no reason why any government, authority, or institution, regardless of what it is called, should negotiate with bandits. Eliminating them totally remains the only way forward. There should be no room for compromise.

That is why I was deeply alarmed at media reports about the abduction of 50 elders in Zamfara. The elders went to dialogue with bandit kingpin Jammo, only to realise too late that the balance of terror was in favour of the blood-craving criminals. They ended up in the terrorists’ den.

People who kill deserve to be killed, pure and simple. This entire talk about reintegration, rehabilitation, or negotiating with terrorists is, in my view, complete nonsense. Time and again, communities, governments, and other stakeholders have entered into negotiations, or so-called peace agreements, with bandits, only to discover that such arrangements yield little or no positive results.

Whether in Katsina or Zamfara states, wherever previous governments have negotiated with bandits, the results have been largely the same. These criminals temporarily lower their weapons, regroup, and then return to their old ways. The cycle repeats itself, leaving communities even more vulnerable than before.

According to reports, the Zamfara elders had stormed the bandits’ enclave on what was described as a peace mission. The elders, drawn from Magamin Didi village in Maradun Local Government Area of Zamfara State, had agreed to send 50 of their members to engage the bandits in support of the local authorities’ peace efforts. Tragically, they became the latest victims of abduction as the bandits decided to hold them captive instead. The criminals reportedly released 11 of them while holding on to 39. Sadly, one of the elders died in captivity.

As much as I try not to, I cannot help but ask simple questions. Were the failures of previous negotiations not enough to serve as a warning? Did the elders of Magamin Diddi truly believe that this latest effort would produce a different result? And assuming they were convinced that a peace mission was unavoidable, why send such a large delegation? Why not a smaller group?

By all standards, sending fifty elders to negotiate with a single bandit kingpin is a remarkable decision. If anything, it indicates that the villagers hold a deep fear of these criminals. But can anyone truly blame them? These are men who, over time, have become a parallel authority in many communities. They levy taxes, restrict access to farms and markets, decide who goes where, and make life unbearable for the citizens.

What makes the entire situation even more intriguing is that the bandits’ leader is hardly an unknown figure. Known as Jammo, he is believed to operate from the Muntsira Forest area of Maradun Local Government Area in Zamfara State. Residents know him. Local authorities know him. Security operatives know him. They reportedly know not only the man himself but also the locations of his camps and the routes he operates along. Yet very little appears to be known about efforts to neutralise him.

In any case, Maradun is not just another local government area. It is the home local government of Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, who, as governor for four years, presided over one of the worst periods in Zamfara’s history.

In Zamfara, there are unconfirmed reports that bandits are extorting companies involved in road projects and threatening to halt the projects if they do not comply. A resident told me that bandits charge as much as N20 million in monthly illegal fees from some companies handling road projects in the state. This happens while the government, which should guarantee the safety of life and property, appears overwhelmed or not fully committed to eradicating the threat of banditry.

Fundamentally, in this fragile situation of repeated attacks and harassment by bandits, with weak security measures from the government, communities have only the options of self-defence or seeking peace with the criminals. Sad. But that is what it is.

Without a doubt, that is why the elders of Magamin Diddi undertook the journey, which led to some of them being captured by terrorists, who brazenly demanded N100 million in ransom. The consequence? Families are thrown into panic. The entire community is plunged into chaos. For the residents of this quiet community, who now live in a heightened state of anxiety and uncertainty over the safety of their elders, life could not be more difficult.

Before defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Dauda Lawal was very vocal in criticising the federal government’s approach to tackling insecurity in the state. Although there has been no significant improvement, the Governor no longer raises such concerns. Is he adopting a more civil tone? Is that what to expect when someone joins the ruling party?

It is evident. Governor Lawal’s new party has woefully failed to address the deplorable security situation in Zamfara State. It is true that the party inherited this issue. It is also true that the party promised to combat it. There is a mismatch between the party’s security promises and the actual deliverables. This should worry even Governor Lawal. Yet his shrill voice now sounds unclear or muffled.

Six months after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) declared a nationwide security emergency, there has been no improvement in the country’s dire security situation, as kidnapping for ransom, abduction of schoolchildren, and recurrent attacks on communities by terrorists continue unabated.

Since 26 November 2025, when PBAT declared a state of emergency on security, there have been a series of attacks on communities, markets, and schools, with scores of schoolchildren kidnapped. The latest incidents occurred in Oyo and Borno states, where the children are still being held by their captors. The period also saw the killing of security personnel, including army generals.

The most intriguing aspect of Nigeria’s seemingly intractable insecurity is that bandits and terrorists have become so emboldened that they continue to operate with reckless abandon. They appear across social media, flaunting their weapons and ransom money.

They use phones for communication, including ransom negotiations, and despite the federal government’s SIM registration directives requiring owners’ details, there are no reports of their arrest. They maintain known social media accounts, which they repeatedly use to share information, yet they remain untraceable.

In a country where people are kidnapped and forced to pay ransoms before being released, where some are murdered even after ransom payments, and where terrorists and other non-state actors impose taxes on law-abiding citizens and decide who may go to the farm and market, the sense of safety disappears for most residents. That is the current situation in Nigeria. Ending it requires a lot, but definitely not negotiations with the terrorists.

—-Elazeh, the GMD of LEADERSHIP Newspaper, can be reached via:@babanyesme