The Citizens for Equity and Justice Initiative (CEJI) has criticized Governors Dauda Lawal of Zamfara and Dikko Radda of Katsina over a controversial peace meeting with Ado Aleru, a notorious bandit leader declared wanted by Nigerian security agencies.
The meeting, which was held last Saturday in Bichi community, Danmusa local government area of Katsina, featured traditional rulers, local government officials, senior officers of the Nigerian Army, and top representatives from both states.
Aleru, who carries a ₦5 million bounty, was captured on video addressing the gathering and calling for peace between Fulani herders and farming communities.
Aleru has been linked to several atrocities in the northwest, including mass killings, kidnappings, and the displacement of thousands, according to human rights organizations.
His appearance at a government-sanctioned meeting has triggered national outrage, with many describing it as a betrayal of justice.
In a statement on Friday, Abdulmumin Sarki, CEJI president, described the governors’ participation in the meeting as a “moral collapse of governance”.
Sarki said: “These are the same governors who, while campaigning, condemned so-called peace deals with blood-stained warlords.
“Now in power, they are doing precisely what they once derided — normalizing 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.”
CEJI, a non-partisan civil society group, said the presence of state and security officials at the meeting was “an affront to every Nigerian who has lost a loved one to banditry.”
The group cited a 2023 report by Amnesty International that recorded over 10,000 deaths and widespread displacement in the northwest as a result of banditry and communal violence.
“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 said.
Governor Lawal had, in August 2023, ruled out talks with bandits, describing the approach as “a failed strategy that has only given criminals more time to regroup and rearm.”
Similarly, Radda once described dialogue with criminal groups as “a misguided approach that rewarded impunity.”
CEJI said both governors must explain their U-turns and take responsibility for endangering public trust.
“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 IGP Kayode Egbetokun to investigate how a declared fugitive like Aleru was able to resurface and engage with state officials publicly.
“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 group said.
CEJI also urged the National Human Rights Commission and international organizations to examine the meeting as a possible breach of Nigeria’s obligations under international law.
“Negotiating with known perpetrators of crimes against humanity, without any form of justice or accountability, is a breach of international norms.
“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,” the group stated.
