Friday January 16, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng
The Federal Government has cautioned state governments against entering into peace agreements with bandits, warning that such arrangements are misleading and undermine ongoing national security efforts.
The warning was issued by the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, during an interview with BBC Hausa monitored in Kaduna.
According to the minister, the Federal Government has previously advised against peace negotiations with armed groups, citing Katsina State as an example where such initiatives were discouraged.
Musa also cautioned communities against engaging with bandits in any form, including the provision of food and other supplies.
“We constantly tell people to stop having dealings with bandits and to stop selling food or drinks to them,” he said.
He stressed that public cooperation remains crucial in the fight against banditry, noting that actionable intelligence from citizens is key to ending criminal activities across the country.
“What people should understand is that if you sell food to them and they give you money, you are eating blood money, and that is not good,” he said.
The defence minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s resolve to restore peace nationwide, emphasising that sustained military operations, supported by the public, remain the most effective approach to tackling banditry.
Musa also dismissed claims that ransom payments are made to secure the release of kidnapped victims, particularly schoolchildren, insisting that the Federal Government does not pay ransom.
He explained that security agencies rely on military pressure and intelligence-led operations to rescue abducted persons.
“The federal government does not pay ransom. Even if others do, the federal government does not. We do not pay ransom.
“People only assume that ransom is paid. For example, whenever children are kidnapped from schools, soldiers go into the forest to apply pressure on the bandits so they will flee and abandon the children, and then we recover them. There is no issue of paying ransom,” he explained.
Musa warned that the payment of ransom only emboldens criminal groups and fuels further kidnappings.
“We also oppose it, because if it continues, it will encourage people to kidnap for money. That is why we say people should stop paying ransom,” he said.
He further urged families and communities to promptly report kidnapping cases to security agencies rather than engaging in negotiations with abductors.
“If someone is kidnapped, they should report to the security agencies so that proper action can be taken,” the minister added.