Falana to FG, Governors: Negotiating With Terrorists Attracts 20-Year Jail Term

Human rights advocate Femi Falana has condemned the Federal and State governments for negotiating with and rewarding terrorists, declaring the practice illegal under Nigerian law.

Delivering the keynote address titled “Rising Under Pressure: Human Rights in an era of Insecurity, Economic Strain and Democratic Uncertainty” at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja, Falana said government officials who hold talks with insurgents commit a grave offence under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.

He noted that it is public knowledge that officials of the Federal Government and some state governments have been meeting and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, with thousands of so-called repentant criminals being forgiven and given undisclosed cash gifts.

Falana said the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies” have been proscribed under the law, insisting that their members and allies must be prosecuted rather than pampered or forgiven by the Nigerian state.

He quoted Section 22 of the Act, which criminalises arranging, managing or participating in meetings or activities linked to terrorist groups, and providing them logistics, equipment or information.

Falana declared that state governors lack the power to grant pardon to so-called terrorists and bandits, saying they can only be prosecuted by the Attorney-General of the Federation. He added that only after conviction and sentencing to at least 20 years imprisonment can the President exercise any prerogative of mercy.

The remarks add a legal voice to the ongoing debate over the Tinubu administration’s response to insecurity, following the death of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar in captivity and the government’s rejection of prisoner-swap demands.

Amnesty International has called for accountability and rule-of-law-based responses to terrorism financing, kidnapping and banditry across West Africa.

Sources: Vanguard