Amnesty for bandits good, but… —Oludayo

Dr Oludayo Tade, a sociology lecturer at the University of Ibadan, speaks with DARE ADEKANMBI, on the consequence of the amnesty granted repentant bandits in the North-West zone.

SOME northern governors recently declared amnesty for repentant bandits. What implications does this have for the security situation in the country?

There are two perspectives to explain the outset of criminality. One sees crime as the free will of the offender based on cost-benefit analysis. The other sees crime as caused by the social structure of the society. In other words, a bandit, cattle rustlers and terrorists are seen as rational in what they do since the benefits which accrue to them is more than what they lose. In this situation, it is prescribed that when a society inflicts more pain or increase the cost of committing crime against the benefit, the offender may refrain. But this is done at a huge cost to the society when we look at the cost of fighting insecurity in Nigeria. Therefore, alternative approach may be better. Granting amnesty to repentant bandits is a rational decision which the society will benefit from. At the level of monetary cost, it cost the states more in fighting the war against bandits.  With amnesty, lesser amount is saved for providing utilities for the entire citizenry. Two, amnesty is functional to the extent that it reduces fear of attacks, death, and loss of livelihoods. With reduced number of bandits, people can comfortably go on their farms to produce food for sale and subsistence. Cattle herders have less to spend on buying ammunition to counter rustlers and farmers will also be at peace. Business climate will also improve and encourage investors since peace will have improved. People can sleep and move freely without fear of being attacked, maimed or killed. With genuine bandits repenting from their old ways, the number of widows, widowers and orphans will reduce. It will also afford the state to rehabilitate the repented bandits and leverage on their insider experiences to track those who are yet to leave their evil ways at minimal cost.

Do you think the action bears semblance with the amnesty programme introduced by the late president Umar Yar’Adua leading to the restoration of peace in the Niger Delta region?

Amnesty is a strategic way of restoring order to the society in the most peaceful way. It listens to complaints and affords everyone to be seen as victims and offenders with opportunity to change before the big hammer is applied. Funding insecurity and applying force has not yielded much results so the carrot and stick approach which amnesty embodies may be a rational approach. Christianity embraces amnesty. Ecclesiastes 9:18 advises us to apply wisdom than investing in weapons of war “wisdom is better than weapons of war but one sinner destroy much good”. If one reads Luke 5: 32 “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”. Hence, amnesty sociologically affords a deviant the opportunity of conversion and application of his knowledge to positive activities that the society will gain from. The society gains from a repentant bandit who embraces amnesty and jettison old ways just as angels rejoice in heaven when a sinner repents (Luke 15:10).

If the amnesty is genuinely prosecuted by all parties, it has the potential of returning the North-West to peace and orderliness and by extension the entire country. This should involve disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation and reintegration of repentant bandits to fully conform to the ideals of the society.