Human rights lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has warned that forgiving terrorists is contrary to the 1999 Constitution, cautioning that government negotiations and concessions to bandits and terrorists pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s national security.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Adeyanju described such actions as “alien to any serious state,” arguing that ongoing negotiations, payments and concessions to armed groups amount to indirect support for terrorism.
“The continued negotiation, payment, forgiveness, and appeasement of bandits and terrorists by the government amounts to indirect financing of terrorism,” he said.
Adeyanju stressed that violent criminality cannot be resolved through dialogue, insisting that terrorists are not capable of genuine repentance.
“Terrorists do not repent, and banditry is not a misunderstanding that can be settled across negotiation tables,” he stated.
He also criticised some state governments for engaging armed groups in the name of restoring peace, describing the approach as dangerous and counterproductive.
“These are criminals who should be arrested, prosecuted, and jailed, not hosted in Government Houses or rewarded with concessions,” Adeyanju said.
According to him, forgiving terrorists sets a harmful precedent and sends the wrong signal to society.
“It sends the message that taking up arms, killing citizens, and destabilizing the country pays. It encourages more criminality, as others will be emboldened to bear arms knowing the government will eventually negotiate, compensate, and beg them,” he added.
Adeyanju further drew a comparison between terrorists and separatist figures such as Nnamdi Kanu, noting that while Kanu did not physically kill anyone, thousands of Nigerians have been killed by terrorists who are now allegedly being embraced by the government.
He warned that such contradictions undermine justice and weaken the foundations of national security, stressing that appeasement of violent groups poses long-term dangers to the country’s stability.
