For years, communities in Katsina have lived through killings, displacement, and the destruction of their livelihoods. Now, the state government has openly admitted it is in “active negotiations” with the bandits responsible for the terror.
Governor Umar Radda, who had once ruled out dialogue, revealed that truce talks have already restored some measure of stability in a number of frontline communities. He made the disclosure while unveiling an 18-month EU-funded peace project being rolled out by the International Organisation for Migration, in partnership with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and Mercy Corps.
The governor said the initiative is different from the usual top-down interventions. According to him, it is community-driven and culturally sensitive, with women, youths, and persons with disabilities playing central roles in shaping the process.
Radda added that this community-based approach has already brought relief to some areas. Out of eight frontline local governments, he said crises have been resolved in four, with negotiations ongoing in two others.
But he did not shy away from painting the grim reality of the damage already done. In Jibia, Batsari, Danmusa, Kankara, Safana, Sabuwa, Faskari, and Dandume, schools are shut, farms abandoned, markets closed, children kept out of classrooms, parents burying loved ones, and elders forced away from their ancestral homes.
Meanwhile, the military has distanced itself from any talks involving cash settlements. Major General Emeka Onumajuru, Chief of Defence Operations, clarified that the Armed Forces do not support paying money to criminals. Instead, he highlighted the national Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme, which offers bandits willing to renounce violence a path to rehabilitation while ensuring those deeply culpable face the law.
According to Onumajuru, the DDR process is not a free pass—it involves profiling, accountability, and a structured transition for those seeking to leave banditry behind. For residents of Katsina, however, the question remains: will dialogue and DDR truly end the cycle of violence that has defined their lives for so long?
