Katsina State Governor Dikko Radda has made a startling revelation about the identity of bandits terrorising the state, stating that approximately 90 percent of them are locals rather than outsiders.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television on Tuesday, Governor Radda emphasized that these bandits are well-acquainted with the local terrain and communities they target.
"These boys know the terrain better, they know those people better. Most of the perpetrators of banditry are from our own area. They are not aliens. Ninety-something percent of them, we know their fathers, their grandfathers, and they are living with us," the governor stated.
Governor Radda identified insecurity as a major impediment to meaningful development in Katsina State. He explained that while governors serve as security chiefs in their states, the operational control of security forces like the army and police remains independent of state governments.
To strengthen security efforts against the bandits, the Katsina State government has established a local security outfit comprising youths from areas affected by banditry. This approach, according to the governor, is designed to leverage local knowledge and intelligence.
"This situation requires local involvement, and that was why we created this outfit, so that people at the local level can provide us with information. They can lead the fight to the enclaves of the bandits because they know the terrain better, and they can fish out informants living among us, giving information to the bandits and those that provide logistic support to the bandits," Radda explained.
The governor emphasized that without addressing the local dimension of the security challenge, it would be impossible to combat insecurity successfully in the state.
Katsina, like several other states in Nigeria's Northwest region, has been grappling with persistent security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, and cattle rustling, which have displaced thousands of residents and disrupted economic activities.
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