A heated dispute has erupted following remarks by the chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Bashir Dalhatu, suggesting that the Federal Government should consider a hybrid approach — combining military action with negotiation and rehabilitation — to address banditry in northern Nigeria. In response, a coalition calling itself the “Sons and Daughters of Hausa Land” has issued a sharply worded rebuttal, rejecting what it calls a dangerous and misleading proposal.
ACF’s Position: Mixed Strategy, Not Blanket Amnesty
In a televised interview on Arise TV, Dalhatu proposed that government should explore a “dual approach” to tackling banditry — combining enforcement with outreach and rehabilitation. He referenced the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme (2009) as an example of how some militants were reintegrated through education and support, becoming productive citizens.
Dalhatu described many perpetrators as “young men who never had access to education or opportunities,” arguing that social and economic deprivation can fuel criminality. He urged the government to “extend a hand of friendship,” while also ensuring that laws are enforced and offenders prosecuted.
When asked whether this meant condoning crime, he insisted that it did not. He emphasized that dialogue and rehabilitation should not substitute for accountability, but rather work in tandem with security interventions.
ACF’s Clarification: Denial of Endorsement for Amnesty/Payments
However, shortly after the remarks spread, the ACF released an official statement rejecting claims that it had formally endorsed amnesty or financial compensation for terrorists or bandits. According to the Forum’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur A. Muhammad‑Baba, the widely circulated video was “truncated, taken out of context, and deliberately manipulated.”
The ACF clarified that Dalhatu’s remarks in the full interview represented his personal views and not an official policy of the Forum. The broadcast, it said, began with a firm condemnation of terrorism and a call for its eradication — a point it insists remains the Forum’s official stance.
The statement further emphasised that at no point did Dalhatu or the ACF attribute banditry to any ethnic or religious group.
Hausa Coalition’s Rebuttal: Amnesty Proposal “An Insult to Suffering”
In a reaction to ACF’s remarks — and the subsequent clarification — the group calling itself the Sons and Daughters of Hausa Land rejected the idea of amnesty or rehabilitation for bandits. They described the ACF’s initial statement as “false, offensive, irresponsible, and a deliberate attempt to rewrite history.”
The coalition insisted that banditry in northern Nigeria cannot be reduced to “lack of education” or “deprivation,” arguing that for many years, leaders of armed gangs have committed serious crimes — including kidnappings, village raids, arson, and massacres of civilians. They asserted that these acts amount to ethnic cleansing, acts of terror, and crimes against humanity, and that those responsible should face justice, not reward.
They further rejected any comparison between criminal gangs and militants in the Niger Delta, saying the latter’s grievances were political or environmental, whereas banditry in the North targets innocent civilians indiscriminately.
Finally, the coalition demanded what they called “justice before any amnesty”: full accounting of victims, identification and prosecution of perpetrators, compensation for destroyed communities, return of kidnapped persons, and rebuilding of displaced communities. Sundiata Post
Not all northern leaders have backed the ACF’s initial proposal. Some prominent figures have criticised the idea of offering amnesty or financial incentives to bandits — especially given allegations that many perpetrators are foreigners or operate across borders.
Others have expressed concern that granting amnesty could set a precedent that rewards criminality and undermines the rule of law. Meanwhile, supporters of ACF’s suggestion argue that a strictly militarised approach has failed — pointing to persistent insecurity in forests and rural areas.
The debate reflects growing frustration across northern Nigeria over escalating insecurity, forced displacement, and the loss of livelihoods — even as security agencies intensify operations to counter armed groups.
But there are areas of dispute though the ACF says it does not officially endorse blanket amnesty or financial incentives for bandits; its chairman’s remarks reflected a personal view and a suggestion for a hybrid strategy.
The Hausa coalition insists that banditry is a violent crime with severe human costs, rejecting any idea of amnesty or incentives for perpetrators.
Many northerners — civil society actors, community leaders, affected residents — appear divided: some see rehabilitation as a pragmatic solution, others reject it as betrayal of victims.
There is little clarity on where the government stands — whether it will consider negotiation and rehabilitation methods, or continue with purely militarised security operations.
The controversy over the ACF’s call for a “Niger Delta–style” amnesty programme for northern bandits has exposed deep fault lines in discourses around security, justice, and reconciliation in Nigeria’s North. While the ACF and some supporters argue for a mix of deterrence and rehabilitation, many of the victims’ communities view such suggestions as an insult — advocating instead for accountability, justice, and redress before any talk of amnesty.
As the debate unfolds, it underscores the complexity of Nigeria’s security challenge: any solution will need to balance justice for victims, accountability for perpetrators, and long-term strategies for reintegration and prevention.
Below is the full text by the Hausa group on social media:
REJOINDER TO THE AREWA CONSULTATIVE FORUM (ACF)
On the False Call for Amnesty for Fulani Bandits
We, the Sons and Daughters of Hausa Land, rise today with clarity, grief, and absolute moral conviction to reject the dangerous and misleading statement issued by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), where its chairman, Bashir Dalhatu, shamelessly called on the Federal Government to offer amnesty and financial support to Fulani ethnic militias known nationwide not as “aggrieved youths”, but as terrorists.
This statement is not only false.
It is offensive.
It is irresponsible.
And it is a deliberate attempt to rewrite history and legitimize a decade of slaughter against the indigenous people of Hausa Land.
1. THE ACF IS LYING ABOUT THE NATURE OF BANDITRY
ACF claims that Fulani bandits are:
“Victims of lack of education”
“Unexposed rural youths”
“People only defending themselves”
“Needing a Niger Delta style amnesty”
We reject this narrative completely.
Banditry did not begin because of poverty or lack of exposure.
It began because:
Buharin Daji CREATED armed banditry
Halilu Sububu’s father was a known highway robber
Dogo Giɗe inherited kidnapping as a family legacy
Bello Turji publicly said “banditry is our profession”
Rugas became weapons camps and kidnap factories
Fulani elites refused to condemn terrorism for 10 years
Where in this is “victimhood”?
Nowhere.
2. DO NOT COMPARE TERRORISTS WITH THE NIGER DELTA STRUGGLE
The Niger Delta militant crisis was:
A political agitation
For environmental justice
Against oil exploitation
Backed by legitimate grievances
Targeted at multinational oil companies
Not at women, children, farmers, and villages
Fulani banditry is:
Ethnic cleansing
Child kidnapping
Mass rape
Village burning
Slave-taking
Terrorism without ideology
A genocide against Hausa communities
How dare ACF compare them?
3. THE ACF CANNOT ERASE A DECADE OF BLOOD
Between 2015 and 2025, Fulani bandits have:
Massacred over 1.5 million Hausa people
Destroyed more than 3,000 villages
Kidnapped over 2 millions civilians
Raped countless women and girls
Turned Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, and Kaduna into graveyards
Yet ACF says:
> “Negotiate with them.”
Negotiate with who?
With Turji?
With Halilu Sububu’s gang?
With Ada Aleru who publicly boasts of speaking to senators?
With Dogo Giɗe who kept Yauri boys and girls for months?
Where was ACF when these children were screaming in captivity?
4. THE ACF IS DEFENDING CRIMINALS BECAUSE THEY ARE FULANI
We say this boldly:
The ACF is not speaking for Arewa.
The ACF is speaking for Fulani ethnic interests.
If bandits were Hausa, would ACF demand amnesty?
Never.
This is not “Arewa activism”.
It is ethnic protectionism.
5. NO HAUSA PERSON HAS EVER PERSECUTED FULANI
Let the truth be told:
For 600 years, Hausas:
Welcomed Fulani herders
Gave them land, grazing corridors, burtali and labi
Allowed them to settle, intermarry, and rule
Never expelled them
Never oppressed them
Never denied them leadership
But Fulani bandits repay this with:
Murder
Kidnapping
Arson
Ethnic cleansing
Who is oppressing who?
6. BEFORE ANY “AMNESTY”, LET JUSTICE SPEAK
Before the government even mentions the word amnesty:
Count the dead.
Name the destroyed villages.
Calculate the stolen cattle.
Pay compensation to Hausa victims.
Return the kidnapped children.
Rebuild displaced communities.
Jail the known commanders.
Investigate the politicians who speak with bandits.
Prosecute the officers who protected them.
Anything less than this is not amnesty.
It is betrayal.
7. AMNESTY FOR TERRORISTS IS AN INSULT TO HAUSA SUFFERING
A widow whose husband was beheaded
A child orphaned in front of his mother
A community burned to ashes
A girl violated by 10 armed men
A farmer shot on his own farmland
A village emptied in one night
And ACF says:
> “Give them money.”
Wallahi, this is injustice.
8. THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF HAUSA LAND SAY: ENOUGH
We reject:
❌ Ethnic manipulation
❌ False narratives of “Fulani victimhood”
❌ Attempts to paint terrorists as misunderstood youths
❌ Any comparison with Niger Delta militancy
❌ Any proposal to give killers government money
❌ The silence of Fulani elites
❌ The cowardice of ACF
We stand for:
✅ Justice
✅ Security
✅ Truth
✅ Peace built on fairness
✅ Protection of indigenous Hausa land
✅ Accountability for every life lost
FINAL WORD
We say it clearly:
No one is fighting Fulani people.
But Hausa Land will forever oppose terrorists—whatever their tribe.
If ACF wants to defend criminals, let them do it alone.
But they must stop using the name “Arewa”.
You do not speak for us.
You do not represent us.
You do not carry our pain.
You do not bury our dead.
We, the Sons and Daughters of Hausa Land, speak for ourselves.
Justice before amnesty.
Truth before reconciliation.
Security before settlement.
And accountability before peace.
#HausaActivist
Gimbiyar Hausa
