It was an embarrassment to Nigeria in the eyes of responsible nations when the Nigerian government recently honoured a wanted bandit leader, Ado Aleru in Danmusa, Katsina State.

Aleru, a name that is dreaded in Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina states, sat like a king, surrounded by military personnel, community leaders, and traditional rulers to negotiate peace.

At the meeting, terrorists’ leader spoke, not from a point of remorse, but of power and authority.

 “As long as you keep calling us terrorists, we will keep acting like terrorists,” he declared authoritatively.

And no one objected. No soldier raised a weapon. No official raised their voice or shouted him down. This could not have been because of non-kinetic approach.

A man that was supposed to be executed for his crimes against humanity, was treated with respect and dignity.

 What kind of country would negotiate with men who burn children in their sleep? What kind of army would stand still while a terrorist gives a speech? This is not just a national disgrace; it is the collapse of every moral fabric holding this country together.

What this shows is that the Nigerian government actually empowered terror; legitimised it; gave it a face, and a voice.

It shows that the Nigerian government is not in control; terrorists are controlling the country because they are the country’s political weapons.

To the Nigerian military and other security agencies, they have lost their honour.

They raid campuses to arrest students who tweet, persecute journalists for their freedom of expression, harass civilians who refuse to pay bribes, but a warlord sits comfortably in their midst in Katsina, and they honour him, instead of pulling the trigger.

This is how a nation dies, not by bullets, but by deals made in daylight where bandits are treated like kings and justice is left gasping for breath.

This is a war for the soul of Nigeria, and the country is losing its dignity, unity and humanity.

The message delivered in Aleru’s case by the Nigerian government is that anybody who wants to be heard and respected in Nigeria, should pick up a gun and spill blood.

If President Bola Tinubu truly wants to leave an enduring legacy, he needs to speak out. His silence is louder than the terrorists’ gunshots.

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