By Mike Odeh James
Kaduna–A senior local official in Nigeria’s troubled northwest state of Katsina has provoked national outrage after attending the wedding of relatives of powerful Fulani terrorists — a move critics say exposes deep collusion between government officials and armed groups that have terrorized rural communities for years.
The event, held in a known militant enclave, has reignited debate over Nigeria’s failed “peace deals” with terrorists and jihadist networks operating across the northwest.
Wedding in a Terrorist Stronghold
The County Chairman of Sabuwa, Sagir Tanimu, was a prominent guest at the wedding, which took place on Friday, 10 October 2025, in Kadawan Dandume, a village long associated with Fulani terrorist camps and kidnap operations.
Newspapers in Nigeria on Friday , 10 October 2025 reported that the ceremony was organized for the children of notorious Fulani militia commanders. Tanimu attended alongside Alhaji Ibrahim Bello Kogo, Prince of the Kogo Emirate, and the District Head of Sabuwa.
The gathering took place inside a forested area that was once a base of heavily armed terrorists who have attacked military posts, razed villages, and abducted thousands.
Analysts say such visits by public officials strengthen the perception that local elites are shielding and legitimizing the same forces destabilizing their communities.
‘Proof of Collusion’
Former National Coordinator of the Middle Belt Patriots, Yusuf Zariyi, told TruthNigeria that the county chairman’s attendance was “proof that government officials are in contact with terrorists.”
“For a county boss to sit with wanted terrorists is enough evidence that northern politicians are deeply connected to these criminals,” Zariyi said. “They know them, protect them, and even celebrate them. That’s why the killings persist.”
He accused northern state governments of using amnesty programs to appease jihadist leaders rather than punish them.
“Only northern governors grant pardons to terrorists,” he added. “It’s because they share similar religious and ideological leanings. That’s why they feel comfortable with these killers.”
Zariyi called on the Federal Government to arrest and prosecute the Sabuwa chairman for aiding terrorism.
‘Legitimising Killers’
Retired army officer Gambo Saadu Moriki, speaking from Gusau in neighbouring Zamfara State, said the official’s attendance amounted to moral betrayal.
“When a government official attends the wedding of terrorists who have kidnapped, raped, and murdered Nigerians, it means the state has surrendered,” he said. “It tells citizens that crime pays.”
Moriki condemned what he called the government’s “romanticized peace policy,” arguing that reconciliation without accountability emboldens killers and weakens national security.
“You can’t build peace on impunity,” he said. “Real peace begins with justice, not photo ops with mass murderers.”
Peace Deals With Terrorists
The wedding controversy comes barely a month after Fulani terrorist commanders — including Ado Alero and Isiya Kwashé Garwa — attended a so-called peace meeting in Hayin Gada, Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The peace meeting was held on Saturday, September 14, 2025.
Katsina Governor Dikko Umar Radda confirmed the meeting as part of a “community-led peace initiative,” but rights groups and security experts say such dialogues have consistently failed.
Moriki further told TruthNigeria that similar peace pacts signed in 2019 and 2021 collapsed within months, allowing the terrorists to regroup, rearm, and expand their areas of control across Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, and parts of Niger State.
Terror Commanders With Bloody Records
Ado Alero, one of Nigeria’s most feared Fulani militia leaders, is accused of leading the Yar Malamai attack that killed five soldiers and injured 11 others in Katsina State. His men later abducted over 80 villagers and massacred more than 100 people in Kadisau.
Another Fulani terrorist leader involved, Isiya Kwashé Garwa, commands fighters responsible for waves of kidnappings and killings in Faskari County and neighboring communities. Security sources say Garwa’s group also collects “taxes” from farmers and traders under threat of death.
Both men, despite being on Nigeria’s most wanted terrorist list, continue to attend meetings with government officials under the guise of peace negotiations.
Government’s Defense
Governor Radda’s media office insists the engagements are aimed at ending violence, not legitimizing criminals. In a recent statement, the governor said his administration’s “hybrid peace approach” combines dialogue and military action.
“So far, through this initiative, we have been able to resolve crises in four frontline LGAs out of eight, and negotiation is ongoing in two others,” Governor Radda said during a media chat Punch newspaper on September 9, 2025
Moral Collapse
Security analysts say the Katsina wedding exposes the deep rot within northern Nigeria’s governance — a dangerous fusion of politics, ethnicity, and religious extremism.
“Every time an official shakes hands with a terrorist, it weakens the state,” Moriki warned. “This isn’t peace — it’s moral collapse.”
Moriki further warned that peace meetings or amnesties won’t solve terrorism in the North.
“You have to kill it capture all the terrorists and that is the way to have peace .
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