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From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
A former Secretary-General of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr. Anthony Sani, has said that a proposed administration led by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his running mate, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, would find it practically impossible to negotiate with terrorists in Nigeria because the country’s violent criminal groups operate under different leaderships and pursue varying objectives.
Sani, who is currently a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the ACF, was reacting to comments made by Kwankwaso during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where the former Kano State governor said an NDC administration would be willing to engage all groups, including terrorists and bandits, as part of efforts to tackle insecurity.
Responding to a question on whether he would negotiate with terrorists if elected, Kwankwaso said: “Of course, we will talk to everybody.”
He explained that dialogue would form part of a broader security strategy and would not replace military operations against criminal elements.
According to him, an NDC government would engage terrorists, bandits and other violent groups where necessary, while security agencies continue to apply force against those who refuse to embrace peace.
Kwankwaso also maintained that such engagement would not amount to granting amnesty or paying ransom, stressing that dialogue would complement military action. He added that communities often know those responsible for attacks and that rebuilding trust between government and local communities would improve intelligence gathering.
However, Sani argued that while dialogue with terrorists has worked in some countries under specific circumstances, Nigeria’s security situation presents a different reality.
“There can be no cavil with the significance of dialogue with terrorist groups, especially when subduing them becomes absolutely impossible.
“That explains why some developed countries have had to dialogue with terrorists. For example, when Hamas held an Israeli soldier, the Israeli authorities had to dialogue with Hamas, which released the soldier in exchange for the freedom of more than 1000 Palestinians held in Israeli custody. This happened in 2006.
“In the same way, Barack Obama’s administration had to dialogue with the Taliban for the freedom of one American soldier held by the Taliban in exchange for the release of five Taliban detainees held by American authorities at Guantanamo. This took place in 2014,” he stated.
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According to Sani, the two examples demonstrate that governments may be compelled to negotiate with terrorist groups under exceptional circumstances, particularly to secure the release of their citizens.
“These two examples show there are circumstances that can force governments to dialogue with terrorists.
“And if the government does not dialogue with terrorists for the freedom of its citizens held in custody, it could cost the country the patriotism that is sine qua non for the survival of the nation,” he said.
While acknowledging that the NDC’s position was understandable in principle, Sani insisted that the Nigerian situation makes such negotiations extremely difficult.
“So, when the NDC promises to dialogue with terrorists, it is understandable, especially when it becomes very necessary to do so.
“This is in line with the time-old adage: If somebody kills one man or woman, such a person is charged with murder; if he kills 10 people, he is examined for insanity; but when he kills thousands of people, such a person is invited to Geneva for peace talks, not because the comity of nations likes the killing, but in order to avoid further killing,” he stated.
He, however, argued that unlike conflicts involving organised insurgent movements with identifiable command structures, Nigeria’s security crisis involves multiple armed groups operating independently.
“But in the case of Nigeria, the bandits, kidnappers and terrorists are not under the command of a single leadership.
“They are separate groups under the control of different leaderships with different aims and objectives, which makes dialogue almost impossible,” he said.
He, therefore, advised the Obi-Kwankwaso ticket to reconsider the proposal.
“NDC should, therefore, perish the thought of dialogue with bandits, kidnappers and terrorists who are separate and under different leaderships,” he submitted.
