We’ll negotiate with terrorists, bandits if elected – Kwankwaso, Peter Obi’s running mate, vows

NDC vice-presidential candidate Rabiu Kwankwaso has declared that a Peter Obi-led government would engage in direct talks with terrorists and criminals to discourage their activities — a statement that arrives barely six months after five US lawmakers proposed visa bans and asset freezes against him for allegedly promoting the massacre of Christians in Nigeria.

Rabiu Kwankwaso has never been known for playing it safe — and his latest declaration on terrorism is no exception.

Speaking in an interview on Channels TV on Monday, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) vice-presidential candidate and former Kano governor said an Obi-Kwankwaso administration would engage directly with terrorists and criminals if elected into office.

“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,” Kwankwaso said.

He argued that previous administrations had failed by betraying community informants who provided intelligence on insurgents, causing locals to withhold vital information from security agencies. “People know almost everything. They know their locations, they know the names of all those involved,” he said, adding that many communities were now “afraid to go forward and tell the security agencies” after past negative experiences.

The remarks land in already complicated political territory for Kwankwaso. According to The Peoples Gazette, just six months ago — in February 2026 — five US lawmakers including Chris Smith, Riley Moore, Brian Mast, Mario Díaz-Balart and Bill Huizenga submitted a bill titled the ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026’, proposing a visa ban and asset freeze against Kwankwaso, accusing him and Miyetti Allah groups of masterminding attacks on Christian faithful in northern Nigeria.

The proposed sanctions bill had cited Kwankwaso for allegedly promoting the massacre of Christians — making his pledge to personally engage with the very terrorist groups linked to such attacks a statement certain to generate fierce scrutiny.