Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Prominent socio-political, religious, and community groups across Nigeria have condemned the Katsina State Government’s reported plan to release 70 suspected bandits as part of a peace deal, describing it as reckless, unconstitutional, and a serious threat to national security. Critics—including Afenifere, the Arewa Consultative Forum, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Middle Belt Forum, and the Coalition of Northern Groups—argue that granting amnesty to violent criminals undermines justice, emboldens banditry, and ignores the plight of victims in a state where over 1,500 civilians have been killed since 2021. While the Katsina government defends the move as a community-driven peace strategy likened to wartime prisoner exchanges that has led to the release of over 1,000 abductees, widespread opposition persists amid government silence on whether the release has occurred, fueling public anxiety and calls for federal intervention to prevent the normalization of impunity.