The Katsina State Government has vehemently denied engaging in any peace negotiations with bandits.
The rebuttal followed viral reports of an alleged peace deal supposedly struck with bandit kingpins in the Batsari Local Government Area.
Daily Trust newspaper said the Katsina State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Dr. Bala Salisu, made the clarification in a telephone interview, declaring that the government remains firm in its resolve not to enter into any negotiation with bandits.
According to the newspaper, Salisbury, however, reiterated the government’s willingness to accept any bandit who voluntarily surrenders and renounces violence.
His words: “We were not part of any peace deal, and the government’s position has always been that anyone who renounces violence and surrenders their weapons would be considered. But the government would not go asking to negotiate with any bandit.”
According to Daily Trust, there were reports, last.weekend, indicating that a peace meeting involving military leadership, DSS representatives, traditional authorities, and residents took place on Sunday in Kofa village, west of Batsari town.
The paper referenced a resident, who claimed to have attended the negotiation, as saying that: “The bandits demanded safe access to our communities and pledged to stop their attacks. They surrendered weapons and released captives, claiming this was the beginning of a comprehensive peace process.”
Some notorious bandit leaders, including Lamu Saudo, Abdulhamid Dan Da, Umar Black, and Abu Radda, were said to have surrendered their weapons and freed kidnapped victims during the meeting.
Military sources confirmed that the surrender followed sustained military operations that left the bandits with no choice but to seek peace.
The Public Relations Officer of the 17 Brigade Army, Lt. Lawal, corroborated this development, attributing it to the relentless pressure applied by security forces.
