Middle Belt Forum Rejects Proposed Disarming of Vulnerable Communities

Ada Odeh

15 May 2025 – Abuja, Nigeria

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has strongly condemned recent comments made by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, during his condolence visit to Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, and has rejected any proposal to disarm communities under attack by armed groups.

In a sharply worded press statement issued today by its National Spokesman, Luka Binniyat, the MBF expressed deep concern over Ribadu’s remarks, describing them as “callous” and “detached from reality,” especially in the face of ongoing massacres and forced displacements allegedly perpetrated by Fulani militants.

“Entire communities have been displaced, thousands are fleeing their ancestral lands, and hundreds of thousands now live in inhumane conditions as internally displaced persons. To claim no one has occupied their land is to deny them both justice and hope,” the statement read.

The NSA had during his visit to Benue described the violence as part of a global trend, citing crises in Sudan and Mauritania, and denied the existence of territories under the control of armed groups in Nigeria—an assertion the MBF insists is blatantly false.

Citing reports from Benue, Southern Kaduna, Plateau, and other states, the group argued that several communities remain under the control of violent non-state actors. It pointed out that even Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum had publicly acknowledged the resurgence of Boko Haram in previously liberated areas.

The MBF also took issue with the ongoing “North Central Workshop on Developing a National Framework on Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration” being held in Makurdi, allegedly under the NSA’s supervision. While acknowledging the importance of such a framework, the Forum fears it may be a veiled attempt to strip defenceless communities of the little means they have for self-protection.

“Will this workshop, like Kaduna State’s amnesty program, disarm local communities while embracing so-called ‘repentant terrorists’?” the Forum queried. “Is it justice to grant amnesty and rehabilitation to mass murderers while ignoring the broken lives and shattered communities they’ve left behind?”

The MBF referenced the 2024 amnesty granted to armed bandits in Birnin Gwari by Governor Uba Sani, facilitated through collaboration with the NSA’s office, as a dangerous precedent where perpetrators are rewarded while victims are ignored.

In a four-point declaration, the MBF demanded:

1. No Blanket Amnesty for Terrorists – Insisting that killers must face justice, not simply surrender arms and walk free.
2. Right to Self-Defense – Urging the government to support communities with legal access to light weapons and military-supervised self-defense groups.
3. State and Local Policing – Reaffirming the call for decentralised policing systems at state, local government, and ward levels.
4. No Unilateral Forgiveness of Criminals – Demanding that any amnesty or reintegration program must be backed by law and public accountability.

The Forum reminded the government that the wholesale amnesty granted to Boko Haram members has not ended the insurgency in the Northeast, and warned against repeating the same mistakes across the North Central region.

“The time has come for serious, responsible, and empathetic governance,” the MBF stated, calling on the NSA to show leadership that prioritizes the lives and dignity of victims, not the comfort of terrorists.

The statement concluded with a call for urgent policy re-evaluation to ensure national security efforts are just, inclusive, and rooted in the lived realities of Nigeria’s most vulnerable communities.