- ACF rejects claims it supports amnesty for terrorists.
- The group says Dalhatu’s remarks were distorted online.
- It reaffirms support for total defeat of armed groups.
The Arewa Consultative Forum has dismissed reports claiming it endorsed amnesty or financial incentives for terrorists and bandits operating across northern Nigeria.
The clarification followed a viral social media clip suggesting the forum backed a programme similar to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s Amnesty initiative for Niger Delta militants.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that in a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. T. A. Muhammad-Baba, the organisation said the allegation resulted from a manipulated extract taken from an interview granted to ARISE News by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Bashir Dalhatu. The group stressed that the video was deliberately edited to mislead the public and misrepresent Dalhatu’s views.
According to the forum, the full interview is available on digital platforms, showing that Dalhatu spoke mainly in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the ACF. It added that only brief references in his submission touched on broader northern perspectives, and none suggested support for granting amnesty to criminal groups.
The ACF noted that Dalhatu had, from the onset of the interview, strongly condemned terrorism and banditry. It said he called for the total elimination of armed groups to restore peace across the region.
The group also clarified that although Dalhatu mentioned the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, it was only to highlight the concept of balancing kinetic and non-kinetic strategies in security management, not to advocate its replication.
The forum further rejected claims that he attributed terrorism or banditry to any ethnic or religious identity. It described such interpretations as mischievous attempts to distort the discussion. The ACF reaffirmed that it has never supported amnesty for terrorists or bandits and remains committed to backing government and security agencies in the fight against insecurity.
