Negotiating With Terror Groups Attracts 20 Year Sentence, Falana warns FG, Gov
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has cautioned the federal and state governments to stop negotiating with terrorists and bandits, describing the practice as “illegal” under Nigerian law.
He made the statement on Friday, June 13, 2026, while delivering the keynote address at Amnesty International’s 2nd Annual General Meeting in Abuja.
He said it is “public knowledge” that officials of the Federal Government and some state governments have been meeting with terrorists and bandits.
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Falana disclosed that the negotiations has led to “thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals” receiving pardons and undisclosed cash payments, stressing that “such actions violate the law.”
“The satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act. Their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State,” he stated.
Citing Section 22 of the Act, he warned that anyone involved in such negotiations risks long jail terms.
Quoting the section, “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria therefore insisted that instead of rewarding proscribed groups, the government should focus on prosecution and accountability.
By Abdulbaqi Jibreel Ajao
