What Gov Radda Told Journalists About Bandits, Insecurity In Katsina

The Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Umaru Radda, on Wednesday told journalists that negotiation with bandits will not stop the insecurity in the state.

Radda, who maintained his stance against negotiations with bandits, said the previous administration adopted such a method, but no positive result was achieved.

Naija News understands that Governor Radda is one of the state governors who has consistently voiced his support for the implementation of state policing as a crucial step towards addressing the prevailing insecurity issues faced by various states, including Katsina.

He firmly believes that governors should assume responsibility for ensuring security within their respective states.

Speaking at his office yesterday when he received a high-powered delegation from the Media Trust Group, Governor Radda expressed concern about the limited authority of governors in ensuring the security of their states under the current constitutional arrangement.

He observed that conventional security agencies are usually accountable to higher authorities, leaving governors feeling powerless.

However, he said that new security initiatives, such as the Katsina Community Watch Corps, have been implemented to help address the issue of insecurity in his state.

Why I Will Not Negotiate With Bandits

Governor Radda gave further explanations as to why he refused to negotiate with bandits: “Some people are saying that the only way to solve this problem is through non-kinetic means, through negotiations. I told the National Security Adviser (NSA) that in Katsina, I would not negotiate with bandits because we have done it under the previous administration, and it didn’t yield positive results.

“We ended up giving them taxpayers money and they equipped themselves, acquired more weapons and relaunched their attacks on innocent citizens of the state.”

He added, “People have voted for us because we promised them that we would bring peace and security, and without peace, you cannot achieve anything. It is very disheartening when you go to these affected communities and you see the state of their schools and hospitals, some of which have become bandits’ camps. Do we have to continue like that?

“We can’t fold our arms while some people are killing, maiming and raping our people, because we are not in control of the security architecture. So, we decided that we must have some approaches as leaders to protect our people.

“My first approach in dealing with this problem is that I decided not to negotiate with any bandit because that would make them feel helpless and that we have to abide by their own terms and conditions.”

Radda expressed that the establishment of the community watch corps has proven to be fruitful, as it has successfully pushed the bandits to the outskirts of the forest.

Despite this progress, the governor found it disheartening to hear certain narratives criticizing the use of trained locals to support conventional security measures.

He emphasized that those who held such opinions were either unaware of the current situation in the state or intentionally spreading malicious information.

“When we wanted to recruit the operatives of Katsina Community Watch, we didn’t give it the approach of either ‘Yan Sakai’ or the approach of vigilante. They were recruited and trained in a formal way by conventional security agencies. They were trained in combat, weapons handling and every other aspect of security training, and they are well-kitted.

“It is a well-thought-out idea, and it was backed by the law passed by our state assembly. The boys are working hand in hand with the conventional security agents,” the Governor added, stressing his call for a regional approach to tackling the insecurity. Many states in the northwest region are battling banditry and kidnappings.

According to Radda, the state security outfit, under his administration, has successfully reversed the tide of banditry that was encroaching upon the Katsina metropolis.

He said these bandits had been pushed back to the frontline local government areas, where the battle continued.

Governor Radda said the recent resurgence of banditry is merely a display of frustration by the bandits, as they have been forced to retreat.

This is evident in their attacks on villages and the setting of houses on fire, he said.

The Governor reassured that his administration will not be deterred by this action but will continue to push forward until it effectively deals with banditry.

Radda said it is important to note that the notion of the Fulani against the Hausa in the context of banditry is misleading and diversionary.

He said the narrative is untrue and must not distract the authority from addressing the real challenges at hand.

“Go inside Katsina now and try to differentiate who is Hausa and who is Fulani. You can’t just do that. We are all the same people. I am of Fulani extraction from both parents. But the bandits are only criminals and we must treat them as such,” he said.