Insecurity in Katsina: 90% of Bandits Are From Our Communities – Governor Radda
Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State says the overwhelming majority of bandits wreaking havoc across the state are not strangers, but locals known to their communities.
Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, on Tuesday, Radda revealed that “most of the perpetrators of these banditries are from our area. They are not aliens. Ninety-something per cent of them, we know their fathers, their grandfathers, and they are living with us.”
He described insecurity as the biggest hindrance to development in the state and emphasized the need for community-driven efforts to combat it.
While noting the constitutional limitations of state governors in security matters, Radda explained that military and police operations are not directly under gubernatorial control. In response, the Katsina government has launched a local security initiative involving young people from communities worst affected by banditry.
“These boys know the terrain better, they know those people better,” he said, stressing that local knowledge is crucial in tackling the crisis.
Radda underscored the importance of grassroots intelligence and support in uprooting the criminal networks.
“So 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,” he added.
“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.”
He concluded, “Without unbundling that, you would not be able to fight insecurity successfully.”
