Ex-Buhari Aide Bashir Ahmad Reacts to Killing of Vigilantes by ‘Repentant Bandits’
Bashir Ahmad, a former media aide to late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, has expressed concern over the practice of granting pardons to bandits in Nigeria.
He was reacting to the killing of 15 members of a vigilante group in Katsina State, allegedly carried out by individuals described as “repentant bandits.”
The incident occurred on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, when the vigilante group, while on patrol in Falale village in Jibia Local Government Area, reportedly intercepted and killed three suspected bandits.
In what appeared to be a reprisal attack, armed bandits later stormed the community and killed 15 people.
In a post shared on X, Ahmad argued that some bandits claim repentance as a strategy to avoid accountability.
He wrote, “I just read a disturbing report that repentant bandits killed 18 members of a vigilante group during an encounter in the Jibia Local Government of Katsina.
“This reinforces the genuine concern that many who claim repentance do so only as an opportunity to evade justice.”
He described the incident as troubling, noting that it raises serious concerns about the credibility of the government’s pardon and reintegration efforts.
Katsina and several other states in Nigeria’s North-West have, in the past, granted amnesty to repentant bandits as part of peace initiatives aimed at addressing persistent insecurity in the region.
