Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Deji Adeyanju, has stated clearly that state governors do not have the constitutional power to pardon terrorists. In a statement issued on Thursday, Adeyanju criticised the growing practice of some governors granting amnesty to armed groups as part of non-military approaches to tackling Nigeria’s worsening security problems. He described such actions as illegal and unconstitutional.

Adeyanju’s comments come amid rising insecurity across several parts of the country, especially in the North-West, North-East and North-Central regions. These areas have continued to face banditry, mass kidnappings and terrorist attacks despite ongoing military operations. In response, some state governments have turned to dialogue and negotiated settlements, offering pardons, cash rewards and rehabilitation programmes to armed groups willing to surrender their weapons.

States such as Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger have, at different times, explored or implemented amnesty initiatives, often defending the approach as a practical solution to stretched security forces and the humanitarian cost of prolonged violence. While supporters of the strategy argue that it has led to temporary peace in some communities, critics say it encourages criminals and weakens the rule of law.

According to Adeyanju, beyond the policy arguments, governors simply lack the legal authority to pardon terrorists. He explained that under Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), a governor’s power of pardon applies only to offences created under state laws. Terrorism, he stressed, is a federal offence governed by national legislation and falls under matters reserved exclusively for the Federal Government.