Katsina stakeholders seek new strategy to combat banditry
Stakeholders during the Katsina Security Community Initiative meeting in Abuja yesterday Indigenes of Katsina State, under the banner of the Katsina Security Community Initiative (KSCI), have called on the federal and state governments to adopt a new strategy to end the scourge of banditry in the state.
Katsina has continued to suffer devastating attacks from armed groups who sack villages, kill residents, and abduct others for ransom.
Repeated assaults have displaced hundreds of people, forcing them to flee their homes, while some communities have resorted to signing peace deals with the criminals in a desperate bid to survive.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on the state’s security situation held in Abuja on Sunday, the coordinator of KSCI, Dr. Bashir Kurfi, said the unabating killings and kidnappings prove that current strategies have failed to curtail banditry in the state.
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He urged both the federal and state governments to embrace a new approach that combines kinetic and non-kinetic measures.
The meeting was attended by retired and serving security personnel, including military generals, police and paramilitary agencies’ officers, anti-graft officials, civil servants, academics, and government representatives at both local and state levels who reside in Abuja.
According to Kurfi, the stakeholders’ engagement is intended to function as a pressure group, offering practical recommendations on how the government can restructure its security model.
He explained that the initiative would begin in Abuja and later extend to local communities across Katsina State.
‘Bandits controlling half of Katsina LGAs’
Kurfi also said more than half of the state’s local government areas are under the control of bandits, making intra-state travel unsafe.
“There are a lot of problems going on in Katsina State at the moment. More than half of the local governments are reportedly under the control of bandits.
“As a result, many local government chairmen and district heads cannot even live in their homes, as the bandits have overpowered them.
“We are making efforts to bring our people together to find solutions because we want this shedding of blood, raping of innocent women, killings, and loss of income to stop,” he said.
Kurfi stressed the need for a community-driven response since many of the perpetrators are indigenes of the state.
He added that worsening economic hardship has pushed more youths into the ranks of bandit groups.
He also lamented the poor communication between political leaders and citizens on ongoing countermeasures, warning that any dialogue with bandits must take into account the suffering of victims to prevent retaliatory violence.