Indigenes of Katsina State, under the banner of the Katsina Security Community Initiative (KSCI), have called on the federal and state governments to adopt a new strategy to end the scourge of banditry in the state.

Katsina has continued to suffer devastating attacks from armed groups who sack villages, kill residents, and abduct others for ransom.

Repeated assaults have displaced hundreds of people, forcing them to flee their homes, while some communities have resorted to signing peace deals with the criminals in a desperate bid to survive.

Speaking at a stakeholders? meeting on the state?s security situation held in Abuja on Sunday, the coordinator of KSCI, Dr. Bashir Kurfi, said the unbaiting killings and kidnappings prove that current strategies have failed to curtail banditry in the state.

He urged both the federal and state governments to embrace a new approach that combines kinetic and non-kinetic measures.

The meeting was attended by retired and serving security personnel, including military generals, police and paramilitary agencies? officers, anti-graft officials, civil servants, academics, and government representatives at both local and state levels who reside in Abuja.

According to Kurfi, the stakeholders? engagement is intended to function as a pressure group, offering practical recommendations on how the government can restructure its security model.

He explained that the initiative would begin in Abuja and later extend to local communities across Katsina State.

?Bandits controlling half of Katsina LGAs?

Kurfi also said more than half of the state?s local government areas are under the control of bandits, making intra-state travel unsafe.

?There are a lot of problems going on in Katsina State at the moment. More than half of the local governments are reportedly under the control of bandits.

?As a result, many local government chairmen and district heads cannot even live in their homes, as the bandits have overpowered them.

?We are making efforts to bring our people together to find solutions because we want this shedding of blood, raping of innocent women, killings, and loss of income to stop,? he said.

Kurfi stressed the need for a community-driven response since many of the perpetrators are indigenes of the state.

He added that worsening economic hardship has pushed more youths into the ranks of bandit groups.

He also lamented the poor communication between political leaders and citizens on ongoing countermeasures, warning that any dialogue with bandits must take into account the suffering of victims to prevent retaliatory violence.

?Peace deal with bandits working in Safana LGA?

Chairman of Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State, Abdullahi Sani Safana, has said that his community has enjoyed relative peace in recent weeks following dialogue facilitated by community and religious leaders.

He, however, expressed concern that the failure of neighbouring local governments to adopt similar measures was undermining the progress, as bandits often launch attacks in those areas and retreat to Safana for safety.

?The dialogue was initiated after interventions from community and religious leaders, acting on the advice of Fulani elders who acknowledged that most of the bandits are indigenes of the state and would listen to them.

?For the past four weeks, there has been no attack in Safana. The bandits even asked whether the dialogue would extend to Kurfi, Dutsinma, and Charanchi local governments. When I said no, they requested that I deliver their message, saying they also want peace to reign in those places and called for time to speak with the chairmen,? he said.

On his part, the Chairman of Zurfi Local Government, Babangoda Abdullahi, said there was a need to sensitise communities about the dangers of collaborating with bandits.

He revealed that investigations had shown that many bandits rely on supplies and intelligence provided by members of local communities.

?The fuel, food, and other logistics they use are purchased by ordinary citizens. In one case we are handling, the son of a victim provided information to the bandits about his father?s whereabouts.

?They collected N5 million in ransom and still killed the man. The boy was given just N50,000 from the ransom. This shows how deeply communities are involved in sustaining banditry in the state,? Abdullahi said.

Prof. Usman Yusuf Bugaje described the attendance of stakeholders at the security meeting as a major step toward finding a lasting solution, noting that their silence in the past had failed to attract government action.

He stressed that the meeting was apolitical but insisted that the crimes committed in Katsina were worse than those in Benue State, which has drawn more government and media attention because residents there have consistently documented their plight.

?Now that we are talking, it is a huge progress. We have not been speaking about the atrocities in our state, and that is why the government has not responded.

?We are not known for being lazy or cowardly. But today, we, the elites, are now IDPs in Abuja, unable to return to our villages, which are dying along with the businesses there,? he said.

Prof. Bugaje warned that if urgent action is not taken, the insecurity could soon spread into larger towns across the state. He called for more press conferences and international advocacy to draw global attention to the crisis.

?The war on banditry can never be won on the battlefield alone. There must be clarity on when to dialogue and when to fight. Stakeholders?especially traditional leaders and community leaders?must be involved. At present, the security committee involves only the governor and military personnel who do not even understand the terrain,? he added.

Another stakeholder, Munir Ahmad, said the root cause of banditry is the neglect of local communities, which has created severe economic hardship for young people.

?We need to engage them to see the benefit of dialogue and the truce we seek. Let us rebuild the broken links in the community because if we continue to approach this violence without alternatives, we will keep repeating the same thing without results,? he said.

Similarly, Bashir Nadabo lamented the release of arrested kidnappers after being handed over by local vigilantes. He commended vigilantes in Bakori for reducing attacks through community donations that were used to strengthen their capacity.

?We need to arm our people to fight back. We all know the bandits are indigenes, but when security personnel are poorly equipped and those deployed lack knowledge of the terrain, then we must empower vigilantes who understand the psyche of these criminals,? Nadabo said.

Army to establish battalion in Malumfashi

The Nigerian Army has announced plans to establish a new battalion in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State as part of intensified efforts to tackle rising banditry in the state.

The decision followed a high-level engagement between Katsina lawmakers at the National Assembly and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, alongside the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, in Abuja.

In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, Senator Abdulaziz Yar?adua, after the meeting, the lawmakers expressed grave concern over the worsening insecurity in Katsina and called for urgent intervention from the federal government.

They specifically urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to authorise the deployment of additional military assets and resources to the state.

While commending the federal government for its ongoing security initiatives, the lawmakers stressed that the magnitude of attacks in Katsina required greater reinforcement and sustained military presence to restore peace and stability. (Daily Trust)

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