Wanted notorious bandit kingpin, Ado Alieru, has warned the Nigerian government and security agencies to stop calling them terrorists if they want peace to reign.
Alieru who gave the stern warning during a “peace meeting” with community leaders, security personnel including Army officers, police officers, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and officials from Danmusa Local Government Area in Katsina State, and groups of bandits, demanded that the federal government should stop referring to his armed group and other similar groups of bandits as terrorists, insisting that he will not end his violent activities unless authorities and the public stop labelling them as terrorists.
In a video shared on X on Tuesday, the bandit leader who was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police in 2020 with a N5 million bounty on his head, was heard boasting that his group and others like him will continue attacking communities if they continue being classified as terrorists.
While addressing the gathering in Hausa language, Alieru claimed that for six years, some Nigerian soldiers lived in his home without any conflict or misunderstanding between them.
Alieru who boasted about his involvement and role in banditry, openly claimed he was one of the original masterminds of the criminal act.
He however, lamented that he and his fellow bandits had been disowned by their families due to their criminal activities. He stated that their parents had never supported their involvement in banditry, expressing shame and rejection by stating that they had been driven out of their homes.
According to him, many young Fulani men who joined armed groups were forced into the lifestyle due to harsh economic and social conditions beyond their control.
“I’m calling on the Nigerian government, for God’s sake. In light of the current situation, they should stop referring to us as terrorists while claiming that they have built schools for bandits or provided us with education,” he said.
READ ALSO: CUPP slams INEC’s deal with FCDA, warns against undermining electoral independence
“The government must stop referring to us as terrorists. As for me, Nigerian soldiers lived in my house for six years — any soldier in Nigeria can verify this. They stayed in my home, and throughout that time, we never had any misunderstanding,” he said.
“They should also stop saying that bandits have been rehabilitated and reintegrated into society, that is simply not true.
“Those who want to go and farm should farm, and those who want to graze their cows should do so. All we know is how to rear cattle and farm.
“Since we started this banditry, our parents have not supported it. They dislike what we are doing and have even chased us out of their homes.
“When you’re constantly on the run, chased and bombed by security forces, some think going back to banditry is the only option. But we must come together and make peace, because there’s no running anymore.
“It’s time to renounce violence and lay down our arms. Otherwise, we will be killed. This is the plain truth. If we return to peace and pursue education, our children will have a better future and will succeed.
“If we understand one another, we can live together in peace. Soldiers may be posted here today and transferred tomorrow, but we, as indigenes, are born here. We know one another’s families and history. If we cannot forgive the past and embrace each other, what hope is there for saving ourselves?”
“These security operatives are not permanently stationed here. They move around like herders who graze cattle in one area and move to another once the land is exhausted.
“For the sake of Allah, I am pleading with the President of this country—please stop calling us terrorists or bandits. If the government truly wants us to live in peace, it must stop using such names.
“In any area they come from, I was the one who spearheaded this movement. I know how it all started, and up until now, I remain fully informed. There is nothing I don’t know about this struggle. Any known bandit, whether alive or dead, is under us,” he boasted.
WATCH: Bandit Leader Ado Aliero Warns Nigerian Govt: Stop Calling Us Terrorists If You Want Peace pic.twitter.com/ew82lkGpse
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) June 17, 2025
The post ’If you want peace, stop calling us terrorists’, wanted bandit kingpin, Ado Alieru, tells Nigerian govt (Video) appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.
