Dikko Radda, Governor of Katsina, has said that about 90 percent of bandits terrorising the state are locals, not strangers.
Gatekeepers News reports that speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, Radda revealed that over 90 percent of the criminals are known to the communities they operate in.
He said, “ “These boys know the terrain better, they know those people better.”
“Most of the perpetrators of these 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.”
The Governor described insecurity as a major barrier to development in Katsina and stressed the need for community-based solutions.
He noted that while governors are considered chief security officers, actual control rests with federal forces like the police and army.
To enhance local security efforts, Radda said the state established a vigilante group made up of youths from bandit-prone areas.
He emphasised that defeating banditry requires grassroots involvement and intelligence sharing.
The Governor said, “ 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.”
“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.”
