Wednesday, July 9, 2025 - Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has stated that the majority of bandits operating in the state are not outsiders but locals known to the communities they terrorize.
“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,” Radda said during an
appearance on Channels Television on Tuesday.
The governor emphasized that insecurity remains one of the
most significant obstacles to development in Katsina. While acknowledging that
governors are regarded as chief security officers of their states, he noted
that the military and police forces operate independently of the state
governments.
To address the challenge, the Katsina government established
a local security outfit comprising youths from areas most affected by banditry.
“These boys know the terrain better, they know those people
better,” he said, highlighting the importance of community involvement in
tackling insecurity.
“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,” Radda explained.
“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. Without unbundling that, you would not be able to fight
insecurity successfully.”
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