Reps Slam FG for Negotiating With Bandits, Say Policy Endangers Nigerians

The House of Representatives has issued a scathing rebuke to the Federal Government for entering into negotiations with bandits responsible for the abduction of 24 students from Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.

Acting under the bipartisan platform “House to the Rescue,” lawmakers on Wednesday said the revelation – made by presidential adviser Bayo Onanuga – amounts to an alarming breach of public trust and a dangerous signal that criminality can be rewarded.

Their reaction comes a day after a tense special plenary session in which members lamented the breakdown of security nationwide and the growing sense of fear felt by citizens amid rampant kidnappings and banditry.

In a joint statement representing all six geopolitical zones, the lawmakers declared:

“The House to the Rescue condemns in strong terms the Federal Government’s decision to negotiate with bandits and criminal networks orchestrating the nationwide wave of kidnappings. While Nigerians are pleading for safety, the government is choosing to sit with those who abduct their children, sack communities, and challenge the sovereignty of the state.”

The group described the move as a “dereliction of duty,” pointing to recent abductions in Kano, Kwara, Kebbi, and several other states that have plunged communities into fear and mourning.

According to the lawmakers, opening dialogue with violent non-state actors only emboldens them. “No credible nation rewards the abduction of its citizens with negotiations. It sets a precedent that invites more kidnappings,” the statement read.

They cited global precedents, arguing that similar attempts-whether with Colombia’s FARC rebels, Mexican cartel intermediaries, Afghanistan’s Taliban, Somali warlords, or Mali’s jihadist groups, did not end violence but instead worsened security crises.

The legislators said Nigeria is already seeing the same pattern: each negotiation leads to more attacks.

They called on the Federal Government to immediately cease all talks with bandits and prioritise intelligence-led rescue operations. They further demanded a comprehensive national security blueprint and full parliamentary oversight of any government officials involved in unauthorized engagements with criminal groups.

The joint statement was signed by Muhammed Soba (North West), Zakari Mohammed (North Central), Olasupo Abiodun (South West), Sadiq Ibrahim (North East), Uko Nkole (South East), and Bassey Ewa (South South).