
Governor Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina State disclosed that a village head accepted a bribe of ₦700,000 from bandits, allowing them to invade his community and kill 30 residents.
Speaking at the 2025 Citizens' Budget Participation Process and the launch of the state's Community Development Programmes, Governor Radda emphasized that paying ransoms does not deter banditry.
"I have said it several times, that the security agents cannot do this work alone. We didn’t even have enough of them," Governor Radda stated. He expressed his dismay at the lack of resistance from locals against the bandits, despite cultural beliefs that promise paradise for those who die defending their families. "You see five criminals attacking a community of 2,000 to 3,000 people, raping daughters, women and abducting others without any confrontation from the people of that community."
Governor Radda also highlighted the arrest of a teacher who was serving as an informant for the bandits, indicating the widespread nature of these criminal activities. "There were women arrested – a teacher serving as their informant; in fact, almost all the segments of people involved in this act," he added.
To combat this menace, the governor announced a new initiative aimed at empowering communities to defend themselves. "We have come up with an initiative that for any community ready to defend itself, we will give them necessary support and training to engage criminals before the arrival of the security agents," he explained.
The governor recounted a visit to Tsamiyar-jino, a remote village that took him two hours to reach by Jeep from the main road. He pointed out the logistical challenges faced by security forces in responding to distress calls in such areas. "If bandits attack such areas, from the time you inform the security agents, it will take them over two hours before they can respond to the distress call. By then, whatever is going to happen will have happened – they will have killed people and kidnapped others."
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