For residents of Katsina, the home state of former President Muhammadu Buhari, peace has become a rare luxury.

In several local government areas, life moves to the rhythm of gunfire, abductions and forced displacement.

From Bakori to Faskari, Kankara to Danmusa, the story is the same. Villages are deserted, markets empty, farmlands abandoned and lives shattered by a wave of banditry that has refused to ebb.

Aamid the raging insecurity, reports emerged that Katsina State government had reached a fresh peace deal with bandits operating in parts of the state..

Negotiations

The reports spread quickly across local and social media earlier this week, rekindling memories of past negotiations that ended in failure.

Given the failure of past deals, instead of enthusiasm, the alleged peace pact was welcomed with mixed emotions.

However, Governor Dikko Umar Radda has firmly denied the existence of any such deal. Speaking in Katsina last Wednesday, he declared that his administration ?will not negotiate with criminals? and dismissed the reports as ?false and misleading.?

?There is no peace deal between Katsina State Government and any bandit group. Our focus remains on community policing, intelligence gathering, and strengthening local security structures,? the governor said.

Communities

The latest controversy began earlier this week when reports emerged that some communities in Katsina, alongside representatives of notorious bandit leaders, had reached a fresh understanding to halt attacks.

The reports listed names of four alleged bandit representatives , Ado Aleru, Isiya Kwashen Garwa, Babaro, and Iliya Zango Dan Sabau. They were said to have attended meetings with local leaders in the Funtua zone.

According to the reports, the deal covered parts of Danmusa, Kankara, Bakori, and Faskari LGAs, where attacks have been frequent in recent months. The alleged agreement, it was said, involved local leaders promising safe passage and community cooperation in exchange for an end to hostilities.

But the state government has issued a strong denial.

Commissioner for Internal Security, Dr. Nasir Mu?azu, said there was no government-sanctioned peace deal, stressing that the administration?s strategy was focused on intelligence-driven security operations and strengthening community watch groups.

?Government cannot and will not negotiate with criminals,? he said. ?What we are doing is empowering our communities through the Community Watch Corps and collaboration with security agencies to take the fight to the bandits.?

Governor Radda, while speaking at a separate event, echoed the same position, warning against any arrangement that could embolden criminals.

The governor?s remarks came as the state inaugurated 100 members of the Community Watch Corps, a security initiative aimed at boosting intelligence and local participation in the fight against banditry.

Denial

His denial has reignited public debate on whether dialogue with armed groups can ever bring peace to a state that has become one of the epicentres of Nigeria?s worsening security crisis.

Checks by Sunday Vanguard showed that the scale of banditry in Katsina today is staggering.

In virtually every senatorial zone, communities live under siege. Rural residents speak in whispers about kidnappers, about night-time raids on motorbikes, and about the taxes imposed by armed gangs who now rule parts of the state?s hinterland.

Worst hit are local governments in the Funtua and Katsina zones, including Bakori, Faskari, Danmusa, Kankara, Dutsin-Ma, Jibia, Kurfi, Batsari, Musawa, Sabuwa and Dandume. Bakori, Faskari

In these areas, Sunday Vanguard learnt, attacks occur weekly, sometimes daily. Bandits storm villages on motorcycles, shoot indiscriminately, rustle cattle, loot food, and abduct residents for ransom. Many victims never return.

In June 2024, gunmen attacked Maidabino village in Danmusa Local Government, LGA, killing several and abducting dozens. In Bakori, hundreds of villagers fled after repeated night raids that left homes and farms in ruins. Similar scenes have played out in Faskari, Sabuwa and Kankara, where entire farming communities have been displaced.

Across the state, thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) now live in overcrowded camps, while others have taken refuge in urban areas like Katsina and Funtua.

Commanders

The complex web of violence in Katsina, experts said, is driven by a mix of local and cross-border armed groups.

Their commanders are known by names whispered in fear: Ado Aleru, a notorious warlord from the Yankuzo axis of Zamfara State, is believed to control fighters that operate into Katsina?s Faskari and Sabuwa areas. Others include Isiya Kwashen Garwa (Guga Ward, Bakori), Babaro (Gidan Gamji, Kankara) and Iliya Zango Dan Sabau (Kankara).

Other bandit leaders include Kamulu Buzaru, Dogo Nahalle, Dogo Baidu, Alhaji Sani, Manore, Nagwaggo and Lalbi. They are believed to control clusters of fighters and camps in forests stretching into Zamfara and Kaduna.

Bandits

Sunday Vanguard learnt that their mode of operations is not different from others in other states.

They are said to move in convoys of motorbikes, each carrying two or three armed men, storming villages in the early hours or at night. They surround communities, open fire, loot shops and homes, and herd abductees into nearby forests.

Their operations thrive on speed, surprise, and networks of informants. Villagers often allege that attacks happen shortly after strange visitors are seen in the community. In many cases, kidnapped victims are taken deep into forest hideouts in Kankara, Faskari, Dandume, or across the border into Zamfara.

Kidnapping for ransom remains their main source of income, but the gangs also profit from cattle rustling, illegal gold mining, and control of rural trade routes. Farmers pay levies to access their own fields.

Security experts describe the crisis as a war economy that feeds itself. Guns, motorcycles, food supplies and fuel flow in and out through middlemen. A network of informants and collaborators ensures the gangs stay several steps ahead of security agencies.

Agreements

To many in Katsina, talk of another peace deal sounds all too familiar. Successive administrations, both state and federal, have tried to negotiate with bandits, only for the agreements to collapse.

Sunday Vanguard recalls that in 2019, the administration of former Governor Aminu Masari initiated a peace deal that saw hundreds of bandits lay down their arms. The arrangement, which involved the release of some detained suspects and promises of rehabilitation, brought a brief lull in attacks.

But by mid-2020, the deal had fallen apart. Some of the bandits who surrendered reportedly returned to the forests, accusing government of failing to fulfil its promises, while others used the opportunity to regroup and rearm.

At the height of the 2020 attacks, Katsina and Zamfara States became flashpoints for mass abductions, including the kidnapping of over 300 Kankara schoolboys in December of that year. It was a chilling event that drew global attention to the crisis.

Loyalty

Since then, various community-led initiatives have emerged, with local traditional rulers and clerics sometimes negotiating temporary truces.

But these arrangements rarely last. Once one faction agrees to peace, another rejects it, and the cycle of violence resumes.

Analysts say the core problem lies in the absence of structure, accountability, and incentives that can hold both sides to the bargain. Unlike insurgent movements with political objectives, the bandits are loosely organised criminal networks whose loyalty is to profit, not ideology.

Failure

Security experts and community leaders interviewed by Sunday Vanguard point to several reasons why peace efforts repeatedly fail in Katsina and across the North West.

?First, the bandit factions are fragmented. A truce with one commander does not bind others. Second, there are no credible guarantees, government often lacks the means to monitor compliance, while bandits have no fear of sanctions, ? President, The International Centre for Peace and Security, John Babanyara, told Sunday Vanguard.

He further the configuration of some peace deals, saying majority lack the prospects of succeeding.

?The peace deals are sometimes poorly coordinated and opaque, allowing for extortion and misunderstanding. Victims often feel excluded, watching the same men who destroyed their homes being rewarded with amnesty or money,? Babanyara added.

A senior security source familiar with the issues in Katsina told Sunday Vanguard: ?These deals are like stop-gap truces. They reduce attacks for a few weeks, but without justice, disarmament, and livelihood support, the bandits see them as business opportunities.?

The source added that some communities enter deals out of desperation: ?People are tired. They just want to farm in peace. When government presence is weak, they will negotiate survival on their own.?

Unified

Similarly, Director, Northern Elders Forum, NEF, Abdulaziz Sullivan, told Sunday Vanguard that one of the reasons for the failure of these past deals is the lack of a unified approach in addressing the root causes of banditry.

According to him, ?Any peace deal with bandits by the Katsina State government while seemingly well-intentioned, raises critical questions about its efficacy in ensuring lasting peace and the implications it holds for the authority of the state.

Over the past decade, various administrations have attempted to broker peace with these non-state actors, often with little success.

?The reasons for the failure of these past deals include the lack of a unified approach in addressing the root causes of banditry. Many previous agreements focused on immediate cessation of hostilities without tackling the underlying issues of poverty, unemployment, and lack of access to education that fuelled the rise of banditry in the region. Consequently, the absence of a comprehensive strategy allowed for a cyclical pattern of violence and temporary truces, undermining the credibility of the government and perpetuating distrust among affected communities.

Fragmented

?Secondly, the fragmented nature of bandit groups complicates negotiations. Unlike traditional insurgencies with clear leadership structures, banditry in Nigeria often involves loosely organized groups with varying agendas. This fragmentation makes it challenging for the government to engage with a singular representative, leading to agreements that are difficult to enforce and monitor.

?The government is under immense pressure to restore order and ensure the safety of its citizens. The state aims to create a conducive environment for peace and development.

?However, this approach raises concerns about the potential normalization of violent behavior. Negotiating with bandits may inadvertently legitimize their actions, sending a message that violence can yield political rewards. Such a precedent could embolden other groups to adopt similar tactics, further destabilizing the region and undermining the rule of law.

?One of the most pressing concerns surrounding any peace deal is the perception that government is surrendering its authority to non-state actors. In a democratic society, the state is expected to maintain order and uphold the rule of law.

?If it enters into negotiations with bandits, the Katsina State government risks undermining its legitimacy and authority, giving the impression that it is unable to fulfill its primary responsibility to protect its citizens.

?This perceived abdication of authority may embolden not only bandits but also other criminal elements, leading to a proliferation of violence and lawlessness. Furthermore, it could erode public trust in government institutions, as citizens may feel that their safety and security are contingent upon the whims of armed groups rather than the rule of law.?

However, whe Governor Radda) has repeatedly said his administration would not repeat what he called the ?mistakes of the past, ? the cost of the violence in Katsina is immense. Thousands have been killed, while tens of thousands have been displaced. Schools in many rural areas remain closed for fear of abductions.

For example, in Faskari?Sabuwa?Dandume axis, children reportedly trek for miles to attend overcrowded schools in safer zones. Farmlands lie fallow in the fertile plains of Danmusa and Kankara, with food production sharply reduced.

Women and children were found to be the worst hit as widowed mothers depend on charity, while young girls rescued from kidnappers often suffer trauma and stigmatization.

Notwithstanding, the denial of a new peace deal may have put to rest speculation about government involvement, but it also raises a crucial question: what is the alternative path to peace?

Experts believe that force alone may not end the crisis without addressing its root causes, which are poverty, illiteracy, youth unemployment, and weak governance in rural areas.

Subsequently, a case was made for a hybrid approach that combines security operations with socioeconomic recovery, victims? compensation, and genuine reconciliation led by credible traditional and religious leaders.

A security analyst, Alhaji Abdullahi Maidambe, told Sunday Vanguard that sustainable peace requires a ?multi-layered response? that addresses both the fighters and the communities they prey upon.

?We must differentiate between hardcore criminals and those who joined out of poverty or fear. Disarmament, dialogue, and justice can work together but secrecy and inconsistency will not,? he said. (Sunday Vanguard)

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