Middle Belt Group Rejects Granting Amnesty And Financial Inducements To Bandits Operating In Nigeria
Yakubu Busari
The United Middle Belt Youth Initiative UMBYI has rejected and condemned the proposal for amnesty and financial incentives for bandits. At a press briefing, the United Middle Belt Youth Initiative (UMBYI) stated that it wishes to formally and unequivocally condemn and reject the recent proposal attributed to the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), which calls on the Federal Government to grant amnesty and financial packages to bandits operating across the country.
Comrade Yakubu Solomon Sule , the National President, said that “this proposal is untenable, dangerous, morally unacceptable, and a grave affront to the memory of thousands of Nigerians—particularly in the Middle Belt—who have lost their lives, livelihoods, and communities to banditry and armed criminality.
False Comparison with Niger Delta Militancy
The attempt to equate Niger Delta militancy with present-day banditry is a serious misrepresentation of Nigeria’s socio-political history. While Niger Delta militancy emerged from long-standing environmental degradation, economic exclusion, and political grievances, bandits today operate as criminal networks driven solely by ransom, violence, and territorial terror.
They have presented no political ideology, no coherent demands, and no justification for their atrocities.
Rewarding Crime Sets a Dangerous National Precedent
Granting amnesty and financial benefits to armed criminals would:- Incentivize the formation of new violent groups- Undermine the rule of law- Embolden existing criminal networks- Reward mass murder, kidnapping, and economic sabotage. Such a policy direction would be disastrous for national security and would send a disturbing message that violence is a profitable pathway in Nigeria.
Middle Belt Communities Have Suffered Deeply
The Middle Belt has endured the highest levels of casualties, displacement, school shutdowns, farmland destruction, and community wipeouts caused by banditry.
To suggest that those responsible for these horrors should be financially compensated is insensitive, unjust, and unacceptable.National Security Must Not Be Bargained with Criminals.
The MBYI calls for the following: Strengthened security operations, improved intelligence gathering, prosecution of perpetrators, community-based security initiatives, and investment in lawful economic and youth empowerment programs. Stability cannot be achieved by negotiating with criminals or offering them state resources.
The Middle Belt Youth Initiative hereby declares its complete and non-negotiable rejection of any proposal recommending amnesty, financial incentives, or rehabilitation packages for bandits.
We urge the Federal Government, the National Assembly, security agencies, civil society organizations, and all patriotic Nigerians to dismiss this proposal and remain committed to justice, accountability, and the protection of innocent citizens.
The MBYI stands firmly with victims and affected communities. Nigeria must not reward those who destroy lives and destabilize the nation.
We remain committed to advocating for a just, secure, and peaceful Middle Belt and Nigeria at large.
