Bashir Ahmed, a former media aide to Muhammadu Buhari, has raised fresh concerns over the policy of granting pardons to repentant bandits in Nigeria following a deadly attack in Katsina State.
Ahmed’s reaction comes after the reported killing of 15 members of a vigilante group by suspected repentant bandits in the state.
The incident occurred on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, when vigilantes on patrol intercepted and killed three suspected repentant bandits in Falale village, located in Jibia Local Government Area.
In what authorities described as a retaliatory attack, armed bandits later stormed the community, killing 15 people.
Reacting via a post on X, Ahmed argued that some bandits exploit amnesty programs to escape justice rather than genuinely renounce violence.
“I just read a disturbing report that repentant bandits killed 18 members of a vigilante group during an encounter in the Jibia Local Government of Katsina. This reinforces the genuine concern that many who claim repentance do so only as an opportunity to evade justice,” he wrote.
Several states in Nigeria’s Northwest, including Katsina, have previously adopted peace deals and pardons for repentant bandits as part of efforts to curb persistent insecurity in the region.
