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Why I Will Not Negotiate With Bandits – Gov Radda
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Katsina State governor, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda, has said he decided not to negotiate with bandits because he did not want them to feel the government is helpless.
Radda who also advocated for state policing as part of measures to tackle insecurity that has plagued states, including Katsina, said governors need to be in charge of security in their states.
The governor disclosed this in his office on Wednesday when he received a high-powered delegation from the Media Trust Group, publishers of the Daily Trust Newspapers and owners of Trust TV and Trust Radio, led by the Chairman, Board of Directors, Malam Kabiru A. Yusuf, for discussions on a proposed regional summit on security.
Radda said with the current constitutional arrangement, governors seem helpless with regard to the security of their states as all conventional security agencies are answerable to their bosses, except where there are new arrangements, like the Katsina Community Watch Corps which is helping in tackling insecurity.
“Some people are saying that the only way to solve this problem is through non-kinetic means, through negotiations. I told the National Security Adviser (NSA) that in Katsina, I would not negotiate with bandits because we have done it under the previous administration and it didn’t yield positive results.
“We ended up giving them taxpayers money and they equipped themselves, acquired more weapons and relaunched their attacks on innocent citizens of the state,” he said.
He added “People have voted for us because we promised them that we will bring peace and security and without peace, you cannot achieve anything. It is very disheartening when you go to these affected communities and you see the state of their schools and hospitals, some of which have become bandits’ camps. Do we have to continue like that?
“We can’t fold our arms while some people are killing, maiming and raping our people, because we are not in control of the security architecture. So, we decided that we must have some approaches as leaders to protect our people.
“My first approach in dealing with this problem is that I decided not to negotiate with any bandit, because that will give them a sense of feeling that we are helpless and that we have to abide by their own terms and conditions.”
Radda said his decision to form the community watch corps was paying off as bandits have been pushed back to the fringes of the forest. The governor said it was frustrating, however, to hear some narratives that the approach of using trained locals to complement the efforts of the conventional security was wrong, maintaining that those holding such opinion were either completely ignorant of the happenings in the state or they were only being malicious.
“When we wanted to recruit the operatives of Katsina Community Watch, we didn’t give it the approach of either ‘Yan Sakai’ or the approach of vigilante. They were recruited and trained in a formal way by the conventional security agencies. They were trained on combat, weapons handling and every other aspect of security training and they are well-kitted.
“It is a well-thought idea, and it was backed by the law passed by our state assembly and the boys are working hand in hand with the conventional security agents,” he added. He, however, called for a regional approach to tackling the insecurity as many states in the northwest region are battling with banditry and kidnappings.
The governor said with the state security outfit, his administration was able to change the tide of banditry which was hitherto approaching the Katsina metropolis, but now they have been pushed back to the frontline local government areas, which become the battlefield once more.
He said the recent resurgence of banditry was nothing but a show of frustration by the bandits because they had been pushed back, saying that was why they attacked villages and set houses on fire.
The governor said that would not deter his administration as it will keep on pushing until they are severely dealt with banditry.
Governor Radda said another misleading narrative was that in the issue of banditry, it was the Fulani against the Hausa, stating that was untrue and diversionary.
“Go inside Katsina now and try to differentiate who is Hausa and who is Fulani. You can’t just do that. We are all the same people. I am of Fulani extraction from both parents. But the bandits are only criminals and we must treat them as such,” he said.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, has slashed its fuel pump price for the second time within four days.
A market survey on Saturday by DAILY POST showed that NNPCL retail outlets around Airport Junction and Wuse Zone 6 (Berger) in Abuja have reduced their petrol price to N1210 per litre, down from N1260.
This means that the state-owned oil firm slashed the petrol price by N50 per litre.
This comes barely two days after Dangote Refinery reduced its petrol gantry price by N50 to N1,125 per litre.
Recall that four days ago, NNPCL had adjusted its fuel price pump by N75 per litre to N1260.
With the latest drop by NNPCL retail outlets, petrol prices stand between N1210 per litre and N1305 per litre in Abuja and its environs.
The reduction in domestic fuel comes amid falling crude oil prices, which stand at $69 per barrel and $71 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude, respectively, following the easing of the conflict in the Middle East.
Recall that President Bola Tinubu has kept mum amid the clamour by Nigerians for a commensurate drop in domestic fuel pump prices due to the significant reduction in crude oil prices.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has said it is yet to receive the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the Federal High Court judgment that set aside an earlier order directing it to register the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, as a political party.
INEC revealed this in a statement issued on Saturday by its Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Chairman, Adedayo Oketola.
According to the commission, although it is aware of media reports on the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja on June 26, it cannot comment on the ruling until it obtains and reviews the certified copy.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is aware of reports circulating in the media regarding the judgment delivered on Friday, June 26, 2026, by the Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, which set aside an earlier order concerning the registration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.
“However, as of this moment, the Commission has not yet received the Certified True Copy, CTC, of the court’s order,” the statement said.
INEC stated that its legal department would study the judgment upon receipt of the CTC before advising the commission on the next course of action.
“Once the Commission’s legal department receives and thoroughly studies the CTC of the judgment, INEC will take an informed, lawful decision in line with the court’s directives.
“Until then, we cannot comment on the specifics of the ruling, and the public is urged to await the Commission’s formal position on the matter,” Oketola added.
Justice Isah Dashen of the Federal High Court in Lokoja had on Friday set aside the court’s December 10, 2025, judgment directing INEC to register the NDC as a political party.
The court held that the rights of the Peace Movement Party were affected by the earlier judgment because it was not joined in the suit despite claiming ownership of the logo relied upon in securing the registration order.
Justice Dashen consequently ordered that all parties be restored to the positions they occupied before the December 2025 judgment and directed that the substantive suit be heard afresh with all necessary parties joined.
The NDC has rejected the ruling and announced plans to appeal the decision. Its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, maintained that the party had not been deregistered and argued that the trial court lacked jurisdiction to revisit a matter on which it had already delivered a final judgment.
The ruling has also attracted reactions from opposition figures, including the NDC’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the party’s National Leader, Senator Henry Dickson, and other stakeholders, who described the decision as a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy and vowed to challenge it through all available legal channels.
INEC, however, maintained that it would reserve its position on the judgment until it receives and reviews the Certified True Copy.
A joint police operation rescued five victims abducted near Ogbere Forest in Ogun state on Wednesday.
They were rescued within 25 hours by the Lagos and Ogun Police Commands, which were part of a joint operation codenamed KOSAYE, meaning “No Space” in Yoruba.
The woman was among the victims who were shot in the incident. Her daughter and sister were among those rescued by the police on Thursday.
NNPC slashes petrol price twice within four days
Lokoja Court order: INEC speaks on NDC, says it’s yet to receive CTC
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