Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has revealed that the majority of bandits wreaking havoc in the state are not outsiders, but individuals born and raised within the local communities.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, Governor Radda shed light on the internal nature of the security crisis facing the North-West state. According to him, most of the perpetrators of violent crimes—including banditry—are familiar faces within the neighborhoods they terrorize.
“Most of the perpetrators of banditry are from our own area. They are not aliens. Ninety-something per cent of them—we know their fathers, their grandfathers, and they are living with us,” Radda stated.
In Katsina, we created our own security outfit to support existing security by using locals who know the terrain. Most of the bandits are not strangers. About 90% of them are from our communities. We know their fathers, we know their grandfathers. we are living with them.… pic.twitter.com/QcYSh1OHqv
— Channels Television (@channelstv) July 8, 2025
In response to this challenge, the Katsina State Government launched a homegrown security initiative designed to complement federal security agencies. Radda emphasized that local participation was critical to the effectiveness of any counter-insurgency strategy, particularly in rural areas where knowledge of the terrain can make or break operational success.
“This situation requires local involvement, and that was why we created this outfit, so that people at the local level can provide us with information. They can lead the fight to the enclaves of the bandits because they know the terrain better, and they can fish out informants living among us, giving information to the bandits and those who provide logistic support to the bandits. Without unbundling that, you would not be able to fight insecurity successfully,” he explained.
The governor affirmed that without peace and security, meaningful development would remain out of reach. He noted that his administration’s decision to empower local security structures stemmed from this understanding.
“In Katsina, we created our own security outfit to support existing security by using locals who know the terrain. Most of the bandits are not strangers. About 90% of them are from our communities. We know their fathers, we know their grandfathers. We are living with them,” he reiterated.
Shifting to political developments, Governor Radda also addressed the recently launched opposition coalition, which is using the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as its vehicle ahead of the 2027 elections. Dismissing the coalition as politically opportunistic, he criticized its promoters as individuals driven by frustration and personal ambition rather than a genuine commitment to national progress.
“Let’s be realistic. Let’s tell ourselves the truth. The time for deceiving Nigerians is over. Who was not in the government in the last regime? Who is not in government? We know the track record of everyone,” he said, questioning the credibility of those now positioning themselves as agents of change.
Radda further accused members of the opposition bloc of attempting to rewrite history to suit their present ambitions. “We know what they have done when they were in government, and they are now crying and shouting because they are outside of the government,” he remarked.
The ADC platform was adopted following months of consultations by a range of political figures including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Senate President David Mark.
As the 2027 general elections approach, political alignments continue to shift. However, Governor Radda maintained that performance, not propaganda, would ultimately determine public support.
