Some bandit kingpins have reached out to the Katsina State Government pursuing a peace deal negotiation to lay down their arms.
The special adviser to Governor Aminu Bello Masari on Security Matters, Ibrahim Ahmad Katsina, revealed this while addressing the press in Katsina recently.
He said the bandit leaders have realised what the future holds for them to reach out to the state government to crystallise a future and a framework for growth and development.
The SA further explained that the existing mechanism in place by the state government on its citizens had started yielding positive results, reducing the rate of attacks to a barest minimum.
Believing that criminal activities of banditry, kidnapping for ransom and other related crimes will soon end in acclaim to the combined effort of the citizens, the government and the security agencies impact.
He thought back to the state government’s recent training of 1,100 highly educated community vigilante corps that volunteer and are ready to assist their communities to survive, the effort that sends a message to the bandits to embrace peace.
Adding further that already the government has inaugurated a high-powered committee under the chairmanship of the Deputy Governor of the state, QS Mannir Yakubu, to take a census of banditry-affected victims which he said is unprecedented.
He said, “This is to ensure that the victims have not become vulnerable and thus to avert another cycle of violence after the end of banditry.
“So, we are applying simple psychological measures to manage the perception of the children of the banditry-affected victims. This is because; the children of those affected by the banditry will surely like to take revenge, so that’s why we want to support them.
“We will provide the widows with gainful employment opportunities, skills, and trades, and their children will be taken to schools. This effort is yielding positive results.”
While talking politics, the governor’s aide assured the good people of the state that the forthcoming 2023 general elections will be held in the most peaceful and democratic manner across all parts of the state.
“We have realised that these bandits are also human beings like us, hence we want to disallow them from cutting short our lives.
“We are not talking; we know what we are doing. Relative peace is gradually returning to the state based on several factors.
“We have realised that what we are facing in Katsina is community banditry, most of the bandits and their locations are known.
“So, we first understood the dynamics of the threats which made it easier for us to deal with the problem and identify the factors responsible, which are responsible and what needs to be done to nib in the bud the problem.
“We first tried to reach out to the communities and developed their capacity in intelligence gathering, community policing, and community effort.
“Through this approach, members of various banditry-affected communities have risen to their responsibilities by not waiting for the security forces.
“We have already commenced the Ruga project in Katsina State, taking development to the forest areas and hinterlands.
“The areas that were hitherto inaccessible are now accessible.
“And let me share something with you, even the bandit leaders are now laying down their arms reaching out to us, they want a robust peace agreement that is committed to both sides.
“This is because they have realized what the future beholds for them. They have also realised the approach we are making is to consolidate a realisable future and a framework for growth and development,” he added.
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