The Arewa Consultative Forum has denied claims that it backed any plan to grant amnesty or make payments to bandits, after a video spreading online suggested the group supported a move similar to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s Niger Delta amnesty programme. The group made its position known on Monday through its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba.
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The reaction followed a recent interview on Arise News with the Chairman of the ACF Board of Trustees, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu. The group said the short clip circulating was edited in a way that changed the meaning of the full interview and pushed a wrong narrative. It added that the full conversation is available online for anyone who wants to understand what was said in its proper form.
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According to the ACF, Dalhatu spoke largely as an individual during the interview and only referred to the group’s views occasionally. It also stated that he started the interview by condemning the growing wave of terrorist attacks and banditry in Nigeria and other parts of West Africa. He called for the quick defeat of the groups causing the insecurity and stressed that people in the North and across the country are not pleased with the violence or supporting those behind it.
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The ACF noted that Dalhatu mentioned the Niger Delta amnesty only while explaining that the government can consider different methods, both forceful and non-forceful, if they will help end insecurity. It added that he never asked the government to adopt Yar’Adua’s approach directly and that anyone suggesting he did was giving a personal opinion. The group also pointed out that Dalhatu did not link the criminals to any tribe or religion during the interview, and it described claims to the contrary as reactions from people trying to cause confusion.
The ACF stated clearly that it has never called for any kind of amnesty for terrorists or bandits and rejected the claims being spread online. The group restated its support for the government and security agencies as they work to end terrorism and banditry across the country.
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