Another Fulani Kingpin Plays the Victim in ‘Peace’ Negotiations in Katsina State  

‘There Are Terrorists Who Want Peace,’ Says National Security Advisor 

By Suleman Ayuba and Onibiyo Segun  

(Kankara, Katsina State) – A wanted Fulani bandit-terrorist linked to years of killings and kidnappings has returned to the negotiating table in Katsina State, exposing the pattern of bad-faith talks that allow armed groups to regroup after defeats while communities absorb the cost.  

These are not genuine peace processes. They are propagandistic negotiations that treat mass killers as aggrieved parties, grant them breathing space, and rarely demand surrender or justice, according to security experts interviewed by TruthNigeria.

 National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, chief of the Nigerian team that is engaging with the White House’s U.S. Nigeria Working Group, has publicly defended dialogue and  engagement with armed bandit leaders. In remarks  in early 2026, Ribadu described some terrorists as “our brothers,” stating: “Whether we like it or not, there are terrorists in Nigeria who want peace. They are our brothers. We must seek dialogue and understanding.”   

 Unreported by mainstream U.S, media is the fact that Fulani-dominated criminal gangs kill far more Christian residents annually than the formal insurgencies. The Observatory for Religious Freedom in Africa (ORFA) documented that Fulani Terror Groups accounted for 44 percent of civilian deaths from late 2019 to 2025—four times the combined toll of Boko Haram and ISWAP (12 percent). Christians died at roughly 4.4 times the rate of Muslims when adjusted for population in affected states.  

The Nigerian Federal Government’s special relationship with Fulani criminal networks dates back to the Buhari administrations (2015-2023). Nigerian media repeatedly  have noted Abuja’s preference for so-called non-kinetic approaches with so-called Fulani bandits even as kinetic pressure – including deadly air strikes – is the fate of jihadist groups. The difference between the two groups is chiefly ethnic: virtually all bandit-terrorists are Fulani tribe; Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa are predominantly Kanuri ethnicity, associated with Borno State. 

Security Expert: “This Is Surrender by Negotiation”  

Colonel Akah Ujah (rtd.), a former Nigerian Army counterinsurgency commander, told TruthNigeria that negotiating with Aleru encourages endless amnesties for criminals.  

“Let’s call it what it is. This is not peace. This is surrender by negotiation,” Ujah said. “Every time we do this, we tell every other gunman: kill, kidnap, then negotiate your way back in.”  

Earlier agreements across Zamfara and Katsina collapsed, because they were temporary ceasefires. Communities granted grazing and market access; armed groups released some captives; attacks later resumed. Arrests, verified disarmament, and justice were missing.  

“The question should not be whether Aleru can bring peace. The question should be why the state is negotiating with someone the police declared wanted in 2020,” Ujah said. “Peace without accountability is a scam.”  

Ujah insists future efforts must begin with accountability: Remove wanted men from the list only after trial, demand weapons surrender and verification—“No guns, no deal”—and target suppliers, financiers, and support networks. Security agencies must restore state authority in places such as Yankuzo, Tsafe, and Kankara rather than outsourcing it to traditional rulers and warlords.  

Communities remain desperate. Dr. Samuel Joshua, a medical doctor working in Zamfara, and farmer Musa Usman both told TruthNigeria that residents want protection and justice, not agreements that collapse after months and allow networks to rebuild.  

 Experts in Washington speaking on background only tell TruthNigeria that Fulani criminal networks have already infiltrated  the federal government which plays a dual role: enforcing the law against insurgents and less preferred bandit-terrorists, while giving a free pass to protected Fulani ethnic kingpins. 

Estimates put the number of bandit gangs in the Northwest at around 100, with 10,000 to 30,000 fighters—numbers that rival or exceed those of the formal insurgencies. Yet, to the surprise of many Nigeria conflict specialists,  The White House’s  Nigeria Working Group has focused exclusively on Boko Haram, ISWAP, and other caliphate-seeking jihadists while stopping short of labeling Fulani bandits as terrorists, thereby perpetuating a false diagnosis that treats the deadliest civilian killers as garden-variety thieves who can be bought out by amnesties or government subsidies, according to the Centre for Democracy and Development.

Aleru Evades a Surrender through ‘Negotiation’ 

On August 15, 2026, landowners of Kankara in Katsina State held another negotiating meeting with Ado Aleru (also known as Adamu Yankuzo), a wanted Fulani murder-and-kidnap boss whose operations span the Zamfara-Katsina border. Aleru’s group had recently been devastated in a clash at Doma village, losing an estimated 30 motorcycles and, according to security sources, between 60 and 90 fighters, including family members. He appeared to be negotiating primarily with local property owners, traditional leaders, and community representatives rather than senior Katsina state officials.  The fact that Katsina officials did not demand and get his unconditional surrender is telling, security analysts tell TruthNigeria. 

In a video obtained by TruthNigeria, Aleru framed previous failures to arrange a so-called peace agreement as the result of bad faith by local community leaders and security forces, continuing the long-standing Fulani bandit tactic of posing as victims with grievances.

Who Is Ado Aleru?  

Aleru is one of the most recognised commanders in Fulani-dominated armed criminal networks along the Zamfara-Katsina axis. Security officials and analysts link his network to ransom kidnappings, killings, cattle rustling, and rural attacks. He rose to prominence amid the expansion of armed groups across remote Zamfara and Katsina areas roughly from the mid-2010s onward.  

In 2020 the Katsina State Police Command declared him wanted and placed a ₦5 million bounty on information leading to his arrest, linking him to the deadly Kadisau village attack in Faskari Local Government Area that June, which killed up to 50 people, according to Daily Trust.

The latest Kankara meeting again places a wanted commander at the center of talks. Without arrests, disarmament, and an end to the special treatment that distinguishes Fulani networks from other insurgents, communities will continue counting victims while the local government chalks up another win for peace talks and endless obfuscation.  

Suleman Ayuba and Onibiyo Segun report on conflict for TruthNigeria.

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