Kwankwaso Promises Dialogue With Terrorists If Elected In 2027

The running mate to Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, says residents of communities plagued by insecurity often already know the identities of those behind attacks in their areas, but are too afraid to share the information with security agencies.

Kwankwaso said this fear stems from past experiences of communities that came forward with such information, an admission that points to a trust deficit between residents and security agencies that he said his administration would prioritise rebuilding if elected in 2027.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Kwankwaso said local communities affected by insecurity were often aware of the perpetrators’ locations and identities but chose silence over cooperation.

“You see, all these things that are happening today, if you go to localities, those places that these insecurities are happening, I can tell you people know almost everything,” he said.

“They know their locations, they know the names of all those involved, and so on and so forth.”

He said this silence was not out of ignorance but self-preservation, noting that communities that had previously volunteered information to security agencies suffered negative consequences as a result.

“What is happening now is many of the communities are even afraid to go forward and tell the security agencies or agents of what is actually happening. Because many of them have done that in the past, and of course, they did not enjoy it,” he said.

Kwankwaso said restoring that broken trust would be central to his administration’s approach to tackling insecurity, alongside direct engagement with terrorists and criminal elements to discourage further attacks.

“So we will give people confidence. We will work on the people, even the terrorists, and of course, the criminals themselves, to see what can be done really to discourage their action,” he said.

Asked directly whether he would hold talks with terrorists, Kwankwaso said, “Of course, we will talk to everybody,” adding that dialogue would not preclude military action where necessary.

“And of course, if there is any issue that will require the services of the military or other security agencies, I can tell you, we will be very happy to do it,” he said.