The Katsina State governor, Dikko Radda, has accused some security personnel and government officials of aiding banditry which he says has now turned into a “business venture”.
“Now it has turned out to be a business venture. A business venture for the criminals, some people who are in government; and some people who are in security outfits, and some people who are responsible for the day-to-day activities of their people,” he said on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today. “These are so many reasons why we are unable to bring banditry to an end.”
In recent years, criminal gangs known locally as bandits have repeatedly raided places mostly in rural areas in the northern region, abducting many and killing others.
President Bola Tinubu has made reducing insecurity one of his priorities. Many have attributed the insecurity to politics. But Governor Radda says poverty and injustice are major drivers.
”The issue of the hypothesis behind political motive as responsible for banditry is not true,” the Katsina State governor said.
According to him, many youths in the north are recruited into banditry with a mere N500.
As part of moves to tackle the region’s insecurity, some northern governors were on a trip to the US. Though they came under heavy criticism for the meeting with many wondering why it was not held in Nigeria, Radda has said they were only invited to the parley.
“The meeting was not at the instance of the selected governors of northern states but it was at the instance of the United States Institute of Peace. They were the people who invited us; they hosted us for the meeting. We were invited to sit with them so that we could bring about lasting solutions to the problems that are affecting our people,” he said.
Governor Radda said the trip gave the governors fresh insights into insecurity in the region.
“Ten governors were in the United States, Washington D.C and we had a symposium with the United States Institute of Peace so that we can bring about ideas that will end insecurity that is worrying our people and is a major problem to the subnationals and they carefully chose the governors of the places affected by banditry and kidnapping,” he said.
“All of us sat for three days and we were able to cross-fertilise ideas and interact with all stakeholders that are involved in bringing about lasting peace and security globally,” the Katsina governor said.