Former Kaduna Central senator, Shehu Sani, has criticised Nigerians opposing recent military airstrikes on terrorist groups, suggesting that such critics should be taken to terrorist hideouts to engage the armed groups themselves.
Sani made the remarks in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday while reacting to the Christmas Day airstrikes carried out on terrorist enclaves in Nigeria’s North-West.
He argued that anyone against military action should be prepared to offer a practical alternative by personally negotiating with terrorists in their strongholds.
“Those who are opposed to striking those terrorist groups should be assembled and transported to the hinterlands of Zamfara and Sokoto or even Sambisa so that they can preach, talk or negotiate with them so that they will stop murdering and kidnapping our people. When one is opposed to one thing, he should be able to do another,” Sani said.
The former lawmaker faulted what he described as selective advocacy, insisting that critics of airstrikes should channel their efforts toward persuading terrorists to abandon killings and kidnappings, rather than condemning military operations aimed at protecting civilians.
Sani’s comments come amid renewed debate over how best to tackle Nigeria’s insecurity, particularly the balance between military action and negotiation.
Earlier in December, Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, in an interview with the BBC, defended his long-standing position that negotiating with bandits is necessary to save lives and achieve peace.
“Everybody negotiates with bandits. That word ‘we don’t negotiate’, I don’t know where they got it from. It’s not in the Bible. It’s not in the Quran. In fact, it’s not even in practice,” Gumi said.
He maintained that negotiations with armed groups are common worldwide and often serve strategic purposes, especially when they help reduce bloodshed. Gumi also said his previous engagements with bandits were conducted openly and with official backing.
“I go there with the authorities. I don’t go there alone. And I go there with the press,” he said.
Reiterating his stance, Sani insisted that those condemning airstrikes should be willing to confront the realities of terrorism firsthand by engaging the groups responsible for violence against innocent Nigerians.
