Selective forgiveness and the politics of amnesties in Nigeria

On whether governments should grant state forgiveness to insurgents amid the popularity of amnesty, justice advocates have cautioned that amnesties could be instrumentalised to muddle accountability. This paper demonstrates how domestic peace processes could mimic existing power inequalities, thereby including some groups and excluding others from state forgiveness. By examining the differential treatment of insurgent groups in Nigeria, this paper unpacks how ethnic politics and resource dependence led to amnesties for Boko Haram and the Niger Delta militants, and how the absence of oil and political connections leave Biafra agitators with nothing to exchange for state amnesty