A human‑rights lawyer has warned that peace talks between communities in Katsina State, Nigeria, and armed bandit groups are giving criminals a stage to flaunt their power and intimidate locals. Recently, the local government areas of Jibia and Batsari held meetings with bandits who openly carried dangerous weapons. Videos and photographs from these gatherings show the gunmen heavily armed during the talks, a scene lawyer Bulama Bukarti describes as outright intimidation.
Bukarti argues that the bandits’ actions are a deliberate attempt to frighten people and spread fear, which he says is a core element of terrorism. He likens their weapon displays to military parades, suggesting they aim to scare the public and demonstrate their strength to the Nigerian government. According to him, both the possession of such weapons and the peace meetings themselves are illegal under Nigerian law; no one is permitted to own or display these arms, and there is no legal framework for dialogues with terrorists.
Islamic scholar Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has cautioned against disrupting the meetings, warning that doing so could create further problems. Bukarti disagrees, contending that the talks amount to a surrender to criminals. He believes that allowing terrorists to showcase their weapons undermines the state’s image in the eyes of its citizens.
The lawyer urges the government to take a more active role, proposing that it should lead the negotiations, set clear conditions, and ensure the disarmament and rehabilitation of the bandits. By leaving citizens to negotiate on their own, the government may inadvertently strengthen the bandits’ position. The situation underscores the need for a more effective approach to the security challenges posed by armed groups in Nigeria.
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