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the recent granting of amnesty to terrorists in some parts of the country has been trailed with controversy. While some Nigerians believe that doing so will curb the rising insecurity in the North-West region, others argue that it will further fuel the menace. In the same vein, some political leaders from the North have disagreed with the federal and state governments on the matter.
The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) has reportedly endorsed the Katsina State government’s recent granting of amnesty to 70 terrorists. Special Adviser to the President (Communications and Publicity) in the AGF’s office, Mr. Kamarudeen Ogundele, has argued that “governors have constitutional powers to grant pardon, if the terrorists were prosecuted by their respective states.”
The AGF’s position was corroborated by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State, Lawal Pedro (SAN), who reiterated that governors had powers to grant such pardon but noted that in exercising the power, the governors should consider public opinion, public policy and the feeling of the people.
However, some senior lawyers maintain that terrorism is a federal crime under the Terrorism (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2022, which is a federal legislation passed by the National Assembly, arguing that State governments lack the power to grant amnesty, pardon or any form of reprieve to any person arrested, charged, prosecuted or convicted for any offence relating to terrorism, particularly if the person was prosecuted pursuant to the Terrorism Prevention & Prohibition Act.
Leaders of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF); Middle Belt Forum (MBF); Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG); Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) have opposed the granting of amnesty to terrorists. According to ACF, such a move would be premature and ill-defined, especially as the battle against the menace is ongoing.
There is no need to grant amnesty to terrorists. Doing so will further fuel terrorism instead of curbing it. Terrorism is ideological and entails the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological objectives. Terrorists should never be treated with kid gloves. They rarely keep agreements. They are out to kill, conquer and control territories. Therefore, it is dangerous to negotiate with them or their sponsors. Terrorists operate on the framework of entitlement. They are blackmailers and do not keep agreements.
Some state governors in the north had negotiated with the terrorists but the pact did not succeed. In 2014, erstwhile governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari, granted amnesty to them but it did not work. His successor, Bello Matawalle, equally granted amnesty to the gangs but it failed. In 2016, former governor of Katsina State, Aminu Masari, negotiated with the bandits but they reneged. There is no guarantee that the proposal by Governor Dikko Radda will work this time around.
No doubt, terrorism, banditry and kidnapping do not bode well the economy. Insecurity has hampered the inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country. Apart from the insurgency in the North-East region, particularly in Borno State, the emergence of Lakurawa, a new terror group, has compounded the state of insecurity in Sokoto State, in the North-West region and other parts of the country.
Between December 26, 2025 and January 21, 2026, villages were raided in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Plateau and Niger states, leading to the killing of over 183 people and abduction of 366. In one of the dastardly incidents, armed gangs stormed three churches on January 18 and abducted 177 worshippers in a single operation.
On January 21, five soldiers were killed and scores were injured when a Boko Haram suicide bomber rammed into a military convoy in Timbuktu Triangle in Borno State.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicated that no fewer than 614,937 Nigerians were killed and over 2 million others kidnapped across the country between May 2023 and April 2024. Related report by SBM Intelligence indicated that Nigerians paid N1.048billion as ransom to kidnappers between July 2023 and June 2024.
Granting amnesty to terrorists will further embolden them in their nefarious attacks. In fact, abduction by terrorists is now a lucrative enterprise that no amount of negotiation will make them abandon it. They should not be glorified with undeserved treatment. The law should rather be allowed to take its course. It is only the government that should have monopoly of the instrument of violence, especially in ensuring law and order.
It is good that the Senate has taken bold steps to prescribe death penalty for anyone convicted of acts classified as terrorism. The legislation should be encouraged and given effect. Therefore, the granting of amnesty to terrorists must be discouraged.
