Kwankwaso: We'll Talk to Terrorists, Criminals to End Insecurity if Elected in 2027

The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said an NDC administration would be willing to engage terrorists and other criminal elements in dialogue as part of efforts to tackle Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

Kwankwaso made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television on Monday, where he outlined the party’s proposed strategy for addressing the country’s security challenges if elected into office in the 2027 general election.

According to him, dialogue with armed groups would form part of a broader approach aimed at discouraging violence, rebuilding trust in affected communities and encouraging perpetrators to abandon criminal activities.

He argued that residents of communities plagued by insecurity often possess valuable information about those responsible for attacks but are unwilling to cooperate with security agencies because of previous negative experiences.

“You see, all these things that are happening today, if you go to localities, those places that these insecurities are happening, I can tell you people know almost everything,” he said.

Kwankwaso added that local residents were familiar with the identities and hideouts of criminal elements operating within their communities.

“They know their locations, they know the names of all those involved, and so on and so forth.

“But what is happening now is many of the communities are even afraid to go forward and tell the security agencies or agents of what is actually happening.

“Because many of them have done that in the past, and of course, they did not enjoy it.”

He said an NDC-led government would focus on restoring public confidence in security institutions to encourage greater cooperation from local communities.

Beyond rebuilding trust, Kwankwaso said the administration would also seek direct engagement with terrorists and other criminal groups in an effort to persuade them to abandon violence.

“So we will give people confidence. We will work on the people, even the terrorists, and of course, the criminals themselves, to see what can be done really to discourage their action,” he said.

When asked whether that approach meant he would be willing to negotiate with terrorists, Kwankwaso responded in the affirmative.

“Of course, we will talk to everybody,” he said.

He, however, stressed that dialogue would not replace the use of force where necessary, noting that security agencies and the military would continue to play a critical role in addressing threats to national security.

“And of course, if there is any issue that will require the services of the military or other security agencies, I can tell you, we will be very happy to do it,” he added.