Tinubu Government Rules Out Negotiations With Terrorists, Adviser Bwala
The administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance on negotiations with terrorists and bandits, according to its Policy Communications Adviser, Daniel Bwala. The government insists it will not resort to ransom payments or deals with kidnappers, no matter how severe the security threat becomes.
Speaking in a televised interview, Bwala acknowledged that Nigeria’s security situation is often “so multifaceted” that it may push any administration into difficult choices. He conceded past administrations occasionally negotiated with violent groups when citizens’ lives were at stake.
But Bwala stressed that under Tinubu, the policy has changed: “negotiation with terrorists … doesn’t fit into terrorism financing.” He argued that ransom payments merely strengthen criminal networks by enabling them to buy more weapons.
When asked how some kidnapped schoolchildren recently managed to gain release without ransom payments, Bwala said not all releases involve money. Sometimes “influential individuals” such as religious leaders persuade captors; other times security agencies track the abductors’ location, issue warnings, and pressure them to free victims.
While the vow to avoid negotiation has drawn cautious optimism from some, analysts warn that the government must pair that stance with effective, proactive security operations, otherwise the threat of kidnappings and banditry will persist, regardless of policy.