Banditry poses a serious threat to lives and livelihoods in parts of Nigeria’s Northwest and Northcentral regions. This has resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of several others. Both the federal government and the affected subnational state governments have responded to this threat by deploying different measures aimed at bringing an end to it. One of such measures adopted by some subnational governments has involved granting amnesty to so called ‘repentant’ bandits. This approach has failed. While several works articulate the origins, nature, character, and trends of banditry, this essay focuses on the controversial issue of amnesty for bandits in Nigeria’s Northwest region. It interrogates the rationale behind the decision to grant amnesty to bandits and why this has failed. Three fundamental things are required for amnesty to yield the desired results within fragile and conflict affected settings, yet they remain absent in the case of Northwest Nigeria. These include the need for individual risk assessment for ‘repentant’ bandits; the buy-in of the affected local communities throughout the entire process; and third, the need to incorporate the voices of victims, including women and girls. The consequences of attempting to reintegrate ‘repentant’ bandits in Northwest Nigeria, in the absence of these, guarantee the repeated failure of such initiatives.

盗匪活动对尼日利亚西北部和中北部地区部分地区的生命和生计构成严重威胁。这已导致数千人死亡，另有数人流离失所。联邦政府和受影响的地方州政府都采取了不同的措施来应对这一威胁，旨在结束这一威胁。一些地方政府采取的此类措施之一是对所谓的“悔改”土匪实行特赦。这种方法失败了。虽然有几部作品阐明了土匪活动的起源、性质、特征和趋势，但本文重点关注尼日利亚西北地区土匪特赦这一颇具争议的问题。它质疑特赦土匪的决定背后的理由以及为什么失败。为了在脆弱和受冲突影响的环境中实现预期结果，特赦需要满足三个基本条件，但在尼日利亚西北部的情况下，这些条件仍然缺席。其中包括需要对“悔改”的强盗进行个人风险评估；受影响当地社区在整个过程中的支持；第三，需要听取包括妇女和女孩在内的受害者的声音。在缺乏这些措施的情况下，试图将尼日利亚西北部“悔改的”土匪重新融入社会的后果必然会导致此类举措一再失败。其中包括需要对“悔改”的强盗进行个人风险评估；受影响当地社区在整个过程中的支持；第三，需要听取包括妇女和女孩在内的受害者的声音。在缺乏这些措施的情况下，试图将尼日利亚西北部“悔改的”土匪重新融入社会的后果必然会导致此类举措一再失败。其中包括需要对“悔改”的强盗进行个人风险评估；受影响当地社区在整个过程中的支持；第三，需要听取包括妇女和女孩在内的受害者的声音。在缺乏这些措施的情况下，试图将尼日利亚西北部“悔改的”土匪重新融入社会的后果必然会导致此类举措一再失败。