We Pay 7,525 Clerics Monthly To Keep Peace – Katsina Govt

Katsina State commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Dr Nasiru Muazu Dan Musa, says the state government has placed 7,525 clerics on monthly allowances to preach peace, tranquility and peaceful coexistence as part of its non-kinetic approach to tackling banditry and other security challenges in the state.

Speaking in an interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday, he said the government had recognised the important role of religious leaders in influencing communities and promoting peaceful relations.

According to him, the payment to clerics is part of a broader strategy designed to complement military and other security operations with community-based and socio-economic interventions.

“We realised the significance of religion in addressing security challenges. At the same time, we recruited clerics and placed them on monthly allowances. There are 7,525 of them being paid to preach peace, tranquility, and peaceful coexistence,” Muazu said.

The commissioner said the government had adopted both kinetic and non-kinetic measures in its response to insecurity, noting that security challenges in the state required more than the deployment of conventional security personnel.

He said the administration had also recruited 6,662 ward heads who receive monthly stipends as part of efforts to strengthen grassroots intelligence and community participation in maintaining peace.

Muazu explained that the government’s community-focused strategy was based on the understanding that many of the bandits operating in Katsina were indigenes who were born and raised within the communities where they carried out criminal activities.

He said the administration had consequently strengthened community structures and established the Community Watch Corps which currently operates in 19 local government areas.

According to him, the government has also combined these initiatives with military and police operations, surveillance infrastructure, support for security agencies and other interventions aimed at restoring peace.

The commissioner said the measures had contributed to a significant reduction in banditry, with about 15 to 16 of the 26 local government areas previously affected by insecurity now experiencing relative peace.

He added that schools and markets had reopened in affected communities, while farmers were increasingly returning to their farms.

Muazu further disclosed that the state government had adopted a policy of refusing to pay ransom to bandits.

“The position of this government has been crystal clear. The government has not accepted the idea of paying ransom. We have never paid, and we will not pay,” he stated.

He said the government was now witnessing cases of bandits voluntarily coming forward to disarm, describing the development as an indication that the combination of security operations and non-kinetic measures was yielding results.