VIDEO: Nigeria In Hot Soup As Nothern Lawmaker Seen Negotiating with Terrorists in Army Camouflage Before Releasing Hostages”

VIDEO: Nigeria In Hot Soup As Nothern Lawmaker Seen Negotiating with Terrorists   in Army Camouflage  Before Releasing Hostages” 

A new video circulating on social media has ignited sharp public outrage across Nigeria, after armed terrorists —some dressed in what appears to be Nigerian Army camouflage—were seen negotiating directly with a Katsina State lawmaker before releasing 45 kidnapped victims under what local sources describe as a “peace deal.”

The short clip, verified by community monitors and circulating widely on Tuesday, shows several gunmen heavily armed with machine guns and ammunition belts. One of them, wearing full camouflage and a combat helmet resembling Nigerian military gear, speaks confidently to the camera while surrounded by fighters.

According to residents familiar with the negotiations, the armed group agreed to free 45 abducted civilians from Katsina communities following back-channel discussions reportedly facilitated by the lawmaker. Local security sources told journalists that ransom payments and political negotiations are “increasingly becoming the default strategy” for securing releases in northern Nigeria—despite official denials from Abuja.

Human rights observers say the footage reinforces long-standing public fears that armed groups in the north continue to operate with impunity, often engaging government officials in direct talks, while communities in the southeast face far more forceful military crackdowns.

“This video is disturbing but not surprising,” said a civil society advocate in Kaduna who monitors abductions. “For years, the government has engaged in quiet negotiations and ransom settlements with armed groups in the north. Meanwhile, in the southeast, even unarmed agitators are met with deadly force. The double standard is obvious.”

Security analysts warn that such informal deal-making risks further empowering violent groups, who already control significant territory across parts of the North-West.

“This shows the collapse of state authority,” said one Abuja-based conflict researcher. “Once terrorists begin negotiating openly with elected officials, wearing military-style uniforms on camera, it erodes trust in the state and strengthens their legitimacy.”

The Nigerian government has not publicly commented on the video, but officials have repeatedly insisted in the past that they do not pay ransom to terrorist groups—despite multiple testimonies from victims, negotiators, and local leaders indicating the opposite.

For families of the freed captives, relief is mixed with fear. Many worry that, without a shift in national security strategy, communities will remain trapped between kidnappers demanding money and authorities unable—or unwilling—to confront them directly.

The video has renewed calls for transparent accountability, a unified national security strategy, and an end to what critics describe as a “two-track system”—one that quietly negotiates with terrorists in the north while using heavy military force against dissenting groups in the southeast.