Kwankwaso: Our Administration Will Talk With Terrorists, Criminals to End Insecurity

Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, running mate to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said an NDC administration would engage terrorists and other criminal groups through dialogue as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

Kwankwaso made the remarks on Monday during an appearance on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, where he outlined the party’s strategy for tackling insurgency and violent crime.

Nigeria has faced prolonged insecurity since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its insurgency in the North-East, while banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes have spread to several parts of the country.

According to Kwankwaso, communities directly affected by insecurity possess valuable intelligence about those responsible for attacks, including their identities and locations.

“You see, all these things that are happening today, if you go to the localities, those places where these insecurities are happening, I can tell you people know almost everything,” he said.

“They know their locations, they know the names of all those involved, and so on and so forth.”

He argued that many residents are reluctant to cooperate with security agencies because they have lost confidence in the authorities following previous experiences.

“But what is happening now is that many of the communities are even afraid to go forward and tell the security agencies or agents what is actually happening because many of them have done that in the past, and, of course, they did not enjoy it,” he added.

Kwankwaso said an NDC government would rebuild trust between citizens and security agencies while adopting dialogue alongside conventional security measures.

“We will give people confidence. We will work with the people, even the terrorists, and of course, the criminals themselves to see what can be done to discourage their action. We will talk with everybody,” he stated.

He stressed that military and other security agencies would still be deployed whenever necessary to protect lives and restore peace.

“And of course, if there is any issue that will require the services of the military or other security agencies, I can tell you, we will be very happy to do it,” he said.

Kwankwaso’s comments align with an earlier position expressed by Peter Obi, who said in June that his administration would negotiate with bandits and other armed groups genuinely willing to embrace peace as part of efforts to rebuild national unity and end insecurity.