Kwankwaso: Obi-Kwankwaso Government Will Engage Terrorists in Dialogue to End Insecurity

Former Kano State Governor and presidential hopeful, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has outlined what he described as a comprehensive strategy for tackling Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, saying an administration led by himself and Peter Obi in 2027 would combine dialogue, intelligence gathering and decisive security operations.

Speaking on the country’s security challenges, Kwankwaso argued that communities affected by terrorism and other violent crimes often possess critical information that could help security agencies dismantle criminal networks. However, he said many residents have lost confidence in the system because previous attempts to assist security operatives ended badly.

According to him, rebuilding public trust would be one of the cornerstones of his administration’s security policy.

“You see, all these things that are happening today, if you go to localities where these insecurities are taking place, people know almost everything. They know the locations, they know the names of those involved and many other details,” he said.

Kwankwaso noted that despite having valuable intelligence, many residents now hesitate to report criminal activities because they fear the consequences of cooperating with security agencies.

“What is happening now is that many communities are afraid to come forward and tell security agencies what is actually happening because many of them have done so in the past and did not have a good experience,” he added.

The former governor said his proposed administration would focus on restoring confidence between citizens and security institutions while also exploring dialogue as a means of persuading terrorists and other criminals to abandon violence.

“We will give people confidence, and we will also engage those involved in terrorism and other criminal activities to see what can be done to discourage their actions. We will hold discussions with terrorists and talk to everyone involved,” he said.

Kwankwaso stressed, however, that dialogue would not replace military action where force is necessary. He maintained that security agencies would continue to receive full backing whenever circumstances require decisive intervention.

“If there is any issue that requires the services of the military or other security agencies, we will not hesitate to deploy them,” he said.