The groups, in separate interviews described the move as reckless and a danger to national security, calling on the Federal Government to halt the provocative action.
Also, religious and community leaders in Katsina State voiced strong opposition to the proposed amnesty for the bandits, whom they described as a grave threat to the state.
Katsina State is dealing with a surge in bandit attacks, with over 1,500 civilians killed between 2021 and 2025. Recently, the state government approved the release of 70 suspected bandits as part of a peace deal with armed groups. The move has sparked controversy, with critics arguing it undermines justice and emboldens criminals.
This newspaper couldn’t confirm on Monday whether the bandits had been released or not after one of our correspondents visited the office of the Katsina State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General to confirm if the bandits were still in custody and verify the authenticity of the alleged documents, including signatures reportedly linked to the release of the suspects.
However, the ministry officials declined comments on the issue, neither confirming nor denying the allegations.
The silence from the government further fueled speculations and public anxiety, particularly in a state that has endured years of violent attacks, kidnappings, and other criminal activities linked to banditry.
However, the government claims the planned release is part of efforts to consolidate peace and secure the freedom of abducted persons. Over 1,000 people have been released through similar negotiations. The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs likened the release to prisoner exchanges during wartime.
Many Nigerians, including security experts, condemned the move, citing concerns about impunity and renewed attacks.
Defence Minister Christopher Musa warned that negotiating with bandits only emboldened them and complicates security efforts.
Afenifere kicks
Speaking on Monday, pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere’s Organising Secretary, Abagun Omololu, said the proposal amounted to an unacceptable appeasement of violent criminals.
He further described the move as reckless, unconstitutional and a grave threat to national security.
“Afenifere Think Tank unequivocally rejects the reported plan by the Katsina State Government to release seventy bandits under the guise of a so-called peace arrangement. This proposal is reckless, irresponsible and profoundly dangerous to national security,” he said.
Omololu warned that state governments lacked the constitutional authority to negotiate with terrorists, especially without full disarmament, accountability and judicial closure.
“We are deeply concerned that certain governors and local government chairmen have arrogated to themselves powers they neither possess nor are constitutionally equipped to exercise. Negotiating with terrorists, let alone granting them freedom without accountability, emboldens criminality, undermines the rule of law and places innocent Nigerians at grave risk,” he stated.
“Negotiations with terrorists, where unavoidable, must be led exclusively by the Federal Government through the military and duly constituted security agencies, and must culminate in the unconditional surrender of arms, verifiable disengagement from violence, and lawful reintegration processes. Anything short of this is a betrayal of the state’s primary duty to protect life and property,” Omololu stated.
He cautioned that insecurity in one state could easily spread to others.
“Bandits freed in Katsina today may resurface tomorrow in neighbouring states or migrate southwards, continuing their murderous activities with renewed impunity. This is not peace-building; it is the redistribution of insecurity,” Omololu added.
