A coalition of former federal lawmakers under the banner of House to the Rescue (HTR) has strongly criticised President Bola Tinubu’s approach to handling kidnappings, accusing the government of emboldening violent groups through back-channel negotiations.

 

In a statement jointly signed by the group’s zonal coordinators — Hon. Muhammed Musa Soba (North West), Hon. Zakari Mohammed (North Central), Hon. Olasupo Abiodun (South West), Hon. Sadiq Ibrahim (North East), Hon. Uko Nkole (South East), and Hon. Bassey Eko Ewa (South South) — the ex-lawmakers said the Federal Government is “igniting insecurity across Nigeria” by engaging with bandits instead of combating them decisively.

 

“House to the Rescue unequivocally condemns the Federal Government’s ongoing negotiations with bandits and criminal networks responsible for the wave of kidnappings tearing through Nigeria,” the statement read.

 

The group accused the administration of abandoning its constitutional responsibility to protect citizens.

 

“At a time when citizens are crying out for protection, the government has chosen to sit at the same table with those who abduct children, violate women, terrorise communities, and undermine the authority of the Nigerian state. This is not leadership. This is abdication of responsibility,” they said.

 

They lamented recent kidnappings in Kano, Kwara, Kebbi and other states, noting that families and communities have been left traumatised while the government responds “with silence, excuses, and back-door concessions to violent groups.”

Citing global precedents, the former lawmakers argued that engaging violent non-state actors only worsens insecurity.

• Colombia, where talks with FARC allegedly boosted the group’s kidnapping operations;

• Mexico, where contacts with cartels coincided with rising kidnappings and empowered criminal networks;

• Afghanistan, where concessions to the Taliban helped them regroup and eventually reclaim power;

• Somalia, where dealings with warlords deepened conflict; and

• Mali, where agreements with jihadists allowed extremists to expand violence regionwide.

 

“The global evidence is indisputable: negotiating with violent non-state actors leads to more violence, not peace. Nigeria is not an exception,” the statement said.

The group warned that the government’s approach is creating a dangerous incentive structure.

 

According to HTR, negotiations with kidnappers send signals of state weakness, encourage more abductions, give criminals political relevance, undermine security agencies, and erode public confidence.

 

“This reckless approach has already created a dangerous business model where abductors take citizens and wait for government representatives to arrive with negotiations instead of force,” they stated.

The former lawmakers called for immediate, concrete steps, including:

1. An end to all negotiations and covert dealings with bandits.

2. A coordinated, intelligence-driven national security operation to rescue victims and dismantle kidnapping networks.

3. Publication of a clear national security strategy with timelines and accountability measures.

4. Activation of National Assembly oversight to investigate any officials involved in unauthorised contacts with criminals.

Emphasising that the protection of lives and property is the government’s foremost duty, the group said any administration that chooses compromise with criminals “has lost moral authority to lead.”

 

“Nigerians deserve a country where criminals fear the state — not a country where the state fears criminals,” the coalition declared.