• Home
  • Anti-Corruption
  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
  • National
    • Government
  • Security
  • Features
  • State
  • Event
    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
PRNIGERIA PRNigeria News
PRNIGERIA PRNIGERIA
  • Home
  • Anti-Corruption
    • ICPC Secures Conviction of Rector for Running Unaccredited Degree Programmes

      Engr Abba Babagana Dalori

      Engr Dalori Forfeits Galaxy Hospital, Petrol Station, Properties & Cash

      Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

      Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

      ASUU

      Tackle Corruption, Institutional Decay – ASUU Charges FG

      EFCC Arraigns Bauchi Accountant General Over N8bn Fraud as Court Sentences…

  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
    • Tinubu Jets to Brazil After Japan Summit, Eyes Trade, Security Deals

      Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi (MFR), hosted the Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr. Zacch Adedeji,

      Customs and the “National Single Window” Project

      FG Earmarks N13bn to Boost Power Infrastructure in Lagos, Ogun

      Centre for Crisis Communication, CCC,

      CCC Reviews Keyamo’s Crisis Management in Aviation Disputes

      NITDA Applauds Tech Giants for Advancing Online Safety in Nigeria

  • National
    • Officers of NCS as it rounds off its Strategic Reputation Management Campaign in Zone 'D', Bauchi

      Customs Consolidates Reforms as Reputation Campaign Wraps Up in Zone ‘D’

      CG Custom Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and Zacch Adedeji

      Is Zacch Adedeji Building Bridges for Nigeria’s Revenue Future? By Yushau…

      Army soldiers security

      Mattress of Terror: Can Nigeria Ever Be Truly Secure? By Haroon…

      ACF

      Arewa Consultative Forum Engages Influencers to Amplify Northern Identity

      Delegations Arrive Abuja for Inaugural African Defence Chiefs Summit

    • Government
      • CG Custom Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and Zacch Adedeji

        Is Zacch Adedeji Building Bridges for Nigeria’s Revenue Future? By Yushau…

        ACF

        Arewa Consultative Forum Engages Influencers to Amplify Northern Identity

        FG, States, LGs Share N2.001trn for July, Says FAAC

        FG Unveils Personal Income Tax Calculator Under New Reform Laws

        Saudi Arabia Conducts Life-Saving Cardiac surgeries in Kano

        Saudi Arabia Conducts Life-Saving Cardiac Surgeries in Kano

  • Security
    • Officers of NCS as it rounds off its Strategic Reputation Management Campaign in Zone 'D', Bauchi

      Customs Consolidates Reforms as Reputation Campaign Wraps Up in Zone ‘D’

      Nigerian Navy Personnel

      Navy Dismantles Illegal Refining Site in Bayelsa

      Army soldiers security

      Mattress of Terror: Can Nigeria Ever Be Truly Secure? By Haroon…

      Police Recover arms from Boko Haram in Borno

      Man, 65, arrested for illegal arms deal in Anambra – Police

      Delegations Arrive Abuja for Inaugural African Defence Chiefs Summit

  • Features
    • CG Custom Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and Zacch Adedeji

      Is Zacch Adedeji Building Bridges for Nigeria’s Revenue Future? By Yushau…

      Army soldiers security

      Mattress of Terror: Can Nigeria Ever Be Truly Secure? By Haroon…

      The Arrest of Ansaru Kingpins Mahmud Muhammad Usman aka Abu Bara’a, and Mahmud al-Nigeri aka Mallam Mamuda

      Ribadu and the fall of Ansaru By Senator Iroegbu

      Fixing the Fault Lines in Nigeria’s Culture of Recognition, By Mukhtar…

      How Desperation Turns Nigerian Job Seekers Into Scam Targets By Tahir…

  • State
    • Nigerian Navy Personnel

      Navy Dismantles Illegal Refining Site in Bayelsa

      ACF

      Arewa Consultative Forum Engages Influencers to Amplify Northern Identity

      CRUSHING BLOW: other Top Boko Haram commanders neutralized in Bita, Wigo

      CP Jimoh Moshood

      Lagos Police Intercept Vehicle Loaded with Cannabis

      ACF

      ACF Decries Worsening Insecurity in the North

  • Event
    • President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

      His Death is a National Loss, Tinubu Mourns Emir of Zuru

      Umar Lauya

      Umar Lauya Declares Candidacy for NYCN Presidency, Vows to Unite and…

      The Executive Secretary/CEO of the National Sugar Department Council (NSDC), Mr. Kamar Bakrin (L), with the CEO of Legacy Sugar Company, Alh. Abubakar Isa Musa (R), during the signing ceremony.

      NSDC, New Operators Seal Landmark Development Agreements, to Produce 400,000MT of…

      Regional Vice President Western and Central Africa at the World Bank, Mr Ousmane Diagana pays a courtesy visit to Baze University

      World Bank Vice President visits Baze University, Commends Educational Standards, Assures…

      NIPR President Ike Neliaku and a recently inducted PR professional from Kano

      PHOTOS: NIPR Inducts 80 New PR Professionals in Kano to its…

    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Home General Outrage as Group Condemns Katsina, Zamfara Governors for Hosting Wanted Bandit at...
  • General

Outrage as Group Condemns Katsina, Zamfara Governors for Hosting Wanted Bandit at ‘Peace Meeting’

By
Abdulmumin Sarki
-
June 20, 2025
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara

Outrage as Group Condemns Katsina, Zamfara Governors for Hosting Wanted Bandit at ‘Peace Meeting’

A civil society group, the Citizens for Equity and Justice Initiative (CEJI), has condemned the governors of Zamfara and Katsina states over a widely criticised peace meeting held with Ado Aleru, a notorious bandit leader long declared wanted by security forces.

 

The meeting, held Saturday in Bichi community, Danmusa LGA of Katsina, was attended by traditional rulers, local government officials, representatives of the Nigerian Army, and top officials from both states. In widely circulated video footage, Aleru — who has a N5 million bounty on his head — was seen addressing the gathering, urging for peaceful coexistence between Fulani herders and farming communities.

Aleru has been linked to countless acts of terror and bloodshed in the north-west, with human rights organisations accusing him of orchestrating mass killings, mass kidnappings, and the displacement of thousands. His reemergence, not in handcuffs but at the centre of state-sanctioned negotiations, has sparked outrage across the country.

CEJI, a non-partisan watchdog focused on justice and rule of law, said the presence of state officials and security personnel at a meeting where Aleru was not only welcomed but offered a platform to speak, was a complete betrayal of the Nigerian people and an affront to every citizen who has lost a loved one to bandit violence.

 

In a statement issued on Friday, Dr Abdulmumin Sarki, CEJI president, accused governors Dikko Radda of Katsina and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara of hypocrisy and political cowardice.

 

“These are the same governors who, while campaigning, condemned so-called peace deals with blood-stained warlords,” Sarki said.

 

“Now in power, they are doing precisely what they once derided — normalising 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.”

 

The group referenced a 2023 report by Amnesty International which estimated that more than 10,000 Nigerians have been killed and tens of thousands more displaced in the past two years alone as a result of banditry and communal violence in the northwest. In that context, CEJI described the peace parley as a “moral collapse of governance”.

 

Read Also:

  • Navy Dismantles Illegal Refining Site in Bayelsa
  • Is Zacch Adedeji Building Bridges for Nigeria’s Revenue Future? By Yushau A. Shuaib
  • Mattress of Terror: Can Nigeria Ever Be Truly Secure? By Haroon Aremu Abiodun

“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 added.

 

Governor Lawal of Zamfara had, in August 2023, publicly ruled out dialogue with bandits, describing such moves as “a failed strategy that has only given criminals more time to regroup and rearm.”

 

Similarly, Governor Radda had dismissed earlier peace talks under his predecessor as “a misguided approach that rewarded impunity.”

 

CEJI said both governors must be held to account for clearly contradicting their own policy positions and exposing the public to more insecurity.

 

“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 the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to immediately investigate the circumstances under which Ado Aleru was allowed to surface freely and publicly despite his wanted status.

 

“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 implication is that there may be state complicity in shielding these actors, which is a grievous national security breach,” the statement added.

 

The group also urged the National Human Rights Commission and international partners to investigate the meeting as a possible violation of Nigeria’s obligations under international law.

 

“Negotiating with known perpetrators of crimes against humanity, in full view of the security agencies and the public, without any form of justice or accountability, is a breach of international norms and values,” CEJI stated.

 

It called on the governors to issue public explanations for their roles in the meeting and to clarify whether their administrations now officially recognise violent non-state actors as peace partners.

 

“If the governors of Katsina and Zamfara can legitimise a fugitive bandit in the name of peace, what will stop every other violent group from demanding the same treatment?” Sarki asked.

 

“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.”

 

VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES
PRNigeria.com EconomicConfidential.com PRNigeria.com/Hausa/
EmergencyDigest.com PoliticsDigest.ng TechDigest.ng
HealthDigest.ng SpokesPersonsdigest.com TeensDigest.ng
ArewaAgenda.com Hausa.ArewaAgenda.com YAShuaib.com
  • TAGS
  • Citizens for Equity and Justice Initiative
Previous articleAt Juma’at Prayer, Leaders Urged to Reform Nigeria’s Civil Service
Next articleGroup Slams Zamfara Gov’s Reconciliation Move, Says Matawalle Vindicated on Bandit Dialogue
Abdulmumin Sarki
Abdulmumin Sarki
Xing

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Nigerian Navy Personnel

Navy Dismantles Illegal Refining Site in Bayelsa

FG, States, LGs Share N2.001trn for July, Says FAAC

FG Unveils Personal Income Tax Calculator Under New Reform Laws

Nigerian Navy Personnel

Navy Hands Over Seized Smuggled Rice, Cannabis to Customs, NDLEA, Rescues Trafficking Victims

Inspector-General of Police Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun

Police Creates 2 New Area Commands, Upgrades 5 Divisions in Benue to Boost Security

Military Troops in Action

Troops Eliminate 2 Top ISWAP Commanders, Others in Borno

Nigerian Police Force

Police Arrest Notorious Bandits in Abuja, Rescue Abducted Victims in Kogi

Police Officer

Bandits Abduct Naval Personnel, Family in Kaduna as FCT Police Arrest Armed Robber

Prof Isa Pantami, former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy

Pantami Condemns Katsina Mosque Massacre, Urges Security Agencies to Deploy Technology

NDLEA Logo

NDLEA Hails Conviction of 2 Lagos Drug Barons to 10-Year Imprisonment

Food Items

Agric Minister, Kyari Laments as Nigeria Spends $10 Billion Annually on Food Imports

Imo Police Raid IPOB/ESN Hideouts, Seize Firearms

Recent Posts

  • Customs Consolidates Reforms as Reputation Campaign Wraps Up in Zone ‘D’
  • Navy Dismantles Illegal Refining Site in Bayelsa
  • Is Zacch Adedeji Building Bridges for Nigeria’s Revenue Future? By Yushau A. Shuaib
  • Mattress of Terror: Can Nigeria Ever Be Truly Secure? By Haroon Aremu Abiodun
  • Arewa Consultative Forum Engages Influencers to Amplify Northern Identity
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
© 2020 PRNigeria. All Rights Reserved.
Latest News
Customs Consolidates Reforms as Reputation Campaign Wraps Up in Zone ‘D’Navy Dismantles Illegal Refining Site in BayelsaIs Zacch Adedeji Building Bridges for Nigeria’s Revenue Future? By Yushau A. ShuaibMattress of Terror: Can Nigeria Ever Be Truly Secure? By Haroon Aremu AbiodunArewa Consultative Forum Engages Influencers to Amplify Northern IdentityMan, 65, arrested for illegal arms deal in Anambra - PoliceDelegations Arrive Abuja for Inaugural African Defence Chiefs SummitTroops Neutralise 7 Bandits, Recover Motorcycles in KatsinaCRUSHING BLOW: other Top Boko Haram commanders neutralized in Bita, WigoPolice Command Moves to Address Protest Concerns in AnambraPHOTOS: Finally, President Tinubu Confirms Pedro as NTA DG, Announces Three Female Executive DirectorsNigerian Military Refutes Misinterpretation of CDS Self-Defence CommentCDS, Katsina Lawmakers Strategize to Tackle BanditryFG, States, LGs Share N2.001trn for July, Says FAACLagos Police Intercept Vehicle Loaded with Cannabis
X whatsapp