On February 13, 2025, the North-West headquarters of Operation Safe Corridor was launched at the former NYSC camp in Tsafe. The program is meant to receive any bandit who decides to drop his weapons, stop killings, kidnapping and other crimes, and submit himself to government.
The state government insists this is not negotiation. But critics and observers say all these strategies amount to the same thing: negotiation with bandits, just packaged in a different name.
Operation Safe Corridor works like this. A bandit surrenders his weapons. He cuts ties with his group. He goes through screening, reorientation and skills training. If he passes, he is reintegrated back into the community with monitoring by security agencies and the community.
Government officials say this is different from sitting down to bargain with bandit leaders. But in reality, the end result is the same. The state is offering forgiveness, support and a path back into society to people accused of murder, kidnapping and terrorism. That is what negotiation looks like.
The program is not new in Nigeria. It is modelled after the North-East approach used for repentant Boko Haram fighters. Governor Dauda Lawal had in the past strongly opposed that model. He said repeatedly that under his administration there would be no negotiation with bandits. Now his government has adopted it with both hands.
Officials also explain that this is different from Amnesty. Amnesty is legal pardon for crimes. But with Safe Corridor, a person surrenders and enters rehabilitation, even though it is not clear if he will still face prosecution for past crimes. In practice, the line is blurred.
Security experts say Safe Corridor also mirrors DDR and DDR-R. That means Disarmament, Demobilisation, Reintegration and Reconciliation. The goal is to weaken bandit groups from inside by giving an exit to those willing to quit. While the military continues operations against those still fighting, government creates a soft landing for those ready to drop arms.
The Zamfara government says the difference is clear. Negotiation is when you sit and bargain with a bandit leader to stop attacks. Safe Corridor is when an individual surrenders on his own and faces the process.
But to many residents in Zamfara, the distinction does not matter. Whether you call it negotiation, amnesty, DDR, or Safe Corridor, government is still talking to and dealing with bandits instead of only fighting them.
For communities in Maru, Tsafe, Dansadau and other areas hit hard by banditry, the concern is simple. Will this bring peace, or will it reward violence?
Government says those who continue with attacks will face full security action. But those who surrender will be given a chance.
In the end, whatever name it is given, Operation Safe Corridor in Zamfara is negotiation with bandits. The state has moved from saying "no talks" to creating a formal structure to receive, rehabilitate and reintegrate bandits.
The people of Zamfara are now watching to see if this new approach will bring the peace that years of fighting have failed to deliver.
