The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has dismissed claims that it endorsed amnesty or financial compensation for terrorists and bandits, describing a viral video suggesting this as a distortion of an interview given by its Board of Trustees Chairman, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu, to Arise Television.
In a statement on Sunday, signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Tukur A. Muhammad-Baba, the Forum said the video was “truncated, taken out of context, and deliberately manipulated” by unnamed groups with a predetermined agenda.
The ACF clarified that Dalhatu’s remarks reflected his personal views, though he occasionally referenced broader perspectives within the Forum. At the start of the interview, he strongly condemned terrorist activities across Nigeria and the West African sub-region, calling for their complete eradication.
The statement explained that Dalhatu’s reference to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s Niger Delta Amnesty Programme was intended to highlight that both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches should remain options for the government in resolving security challenges. He did not advocate replicating the Niger Delta model or proposing payments to bandits.
“Dalhatu never linked terrorists or bandits to ethnicity, religion, or any identity group,” the ACF noted, emphasizing that no individual or group in the North condones or shields criminal elements.
The Forum stated it was issuing the clarification due to the gravity of the circulating allegations and reiterated that it has never called for an amnesty programme for terrorists or bandits.
“As always, ACF pledges full support to the government and security agencies in their efforts to stamp out terrorism and banditry from Nigeria,” the statement said.
The ACF urged the public to disregard the viral clip and to refer to the full interview, which is available on multiple digital platforms.
