Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has warned Nigerians against negotiating with armed bandits, saying such peace deals only embolden criminals and worsen insecurity.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has warned Nigerians against entering into peace deals or negotiations with armed bandits, saying such efforts have consistently failed and only empower the criminals.
Speaking in an interview conducted in Hausa language, General Musa said, “We’ve seen over and over that whenever people try to make peace with them, it backfires. That’s why we warned: don’t have any dealings with them, in any way. The situation is already serious.”
He recalled how residents of Lakurawa community once allowed bandits from Niger Republic to settle in the area under a peace arrangement, but the group soon turned against them. “They started extorting people, going around demanding money. When people refused to pay, they killed them,” he said.
Describing the so-called peace deals as “worthless,” Musa said the bandits “do not fear God” and are driven purely by greed. He stressed that the military does not support any truce or negotiation with bandit groups, urging those who genuinely wish to repent to surrender their weapons and submit to authorities for screening and investigation.
Meanwhile, some northern governors have backed community-led peace talks, described as the “Katsina Model.”
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