- Katsina Governor hails community peace deals with bandits
Months after insisting his administration would not negotiate with armed groups, Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda is now praising several communities for securing unprecedented calm through locally driven peace deals with bandits who once terrorised the region.
Touring Batsari and Danmusa councils on Friday, Radda said the shift was nothing short of remarkable. His convoy passed through the Danburum forest, a route many residents long avoided due to years of ambushes, kidnappings, and fear. Today, the governor says, the mood on the ground is different.
“The peace deal initiative organised by communities is yielding very positive results,” he told reporters. He noted that for several days, the state recorded no major security alerts, a development he described as “almost unthinkable” earlier this year.
In a symbolic moment, officials accompanying the governor briefly stepped into the forest to pick wild fruits – a gesture meant to show that the area, once regarded as hostile, is slowly returning to normalcy.
Radda said the impact is already measurable: monthly medical bills for banditry victims have dropped from over ₦40 million to under ₦2 million, reflecting fewer attacks and casualties. Support payments for rescued victims and grieving families have also declined.
Still, he cautioned, Katsina is not entirely out of danger. He urged residents and religious leaders to remain vigilant and sustain the fragile peace. “We are not there yet, but the progress we’ve made is real,” he said.
Viral Video Sparks Outrage as Katsina Lawmaker Appears to Praise Bandit Leader
Meanwhile, a widely circulated video has ignited public fury across Nigeria after appearing to show a Katsina State lawmaker venturing into a forest to negotiate directly with armed bandits—without any security escort.
The footage, filmed in Hausa and now translated, shows the lawmaker addressing armed men with unusual deference, referring to their leader as a “Grand Commander of Peace.” The video has not yet been independently verified, but its political fallout has already begun.
In the recording, the official thanks the armed group for allegedly releasing 37 abducted individuals and claims that no resident from Bakori LGA remains in captivity. He further praises several Fulani leaders, who he says played a key role in the negotiations.
Controversial remarks in the video have triggered intense backlash, including:
- praising a bandit leader as “the Grand Commander of Peace”
- announcing a supposed “agreement” between the government and the armed group
- urging authorities not to carry out military operations against “peaceful bandits”
- requesting government projects — hospitals, water supply — for bandit-controlled areas
- suggesting smaller crimes should be tolerated so long as major attacks stop
Security analysts say if the video is genuine, it exposes the growing weakness of state authority and the expanding influence of non-state armed groups functioning as parallel power structures. It also highlights the desperation of some local officials who, lacking federal backing, turn to direct negotiations as a last resort.
The lawmaker concludes in the video by urging communities to work with the armed group to maintain “peace” and announces a joint committee between local leaders and bandits to settle disputes.
The state government has yet to formally respond.
Watch the viral video showing Katsina lawmaker entering the forest to negotiate with armed bandits below.
