The Katsina State Government has staunchly defended its initiative to facilitate the release of approximately 70 individuals currently facing trial for alleged involvement in banditry, describing the move as a critical step to sustain and consolidate ongoing peace agreements with armed groups in the state.
Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Muazu, made the clarification in a Saturday interview with DCL Hausa, responding to widespread public criticism sparked by a leaked official letter.
The document, dated January 2, 2026, and marked “SECRET,” was issued by the Katsina State Ministry of Justice and addressed to the Chief Judge of the state. Signed by Director of Public Prosecutions Abdur-Rahman Umar, it requested the intervention of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) to aid the release of the suspects.
The letter revealed that a list of 48 suspects accused of banditry-related offences had been forwarded by the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, with an additional 22 inmates facing trials in various high courts also proposed for release.
It described the action as “one of the conditions precedent for the continuance of the peace accord deal signed between the frontline local governments and the bandits.”
Some suspects have been arraigned in the Federal High Court, while most remain in detention awaiting trial at magistrate courts across the state.
Muazu explained that the peace deals, community-driven and involving at least 15 local government areas, have already yielded significant results.
He cited the release of about 1,000 abducted persons, with specific figures including Sabuwa (310), Bakori (125), Danmusa (60), Dutsinma (62), Safana (36), and others from areas like Kurfi, Faskari, and more.
These accords, he said, stem from negotiations between affected communities and “repentant bandits,” leading to reduced violence, freed captives, and restored access to farmlands and markets.
Defending the proposal, Muazu likened it to prisoner exchanges common in wartime conflicts. “All over the world, after wars, prisoner exchanges usually take place,” he stated, referencing Nigeria’s civil war and Boko Haram negotiations.
He emphasised that the focus is on achieving lasting peace rather than solely on past offences, asserting that neither the Ministry of Justice nor the courts have violated any laws. Anyone dissatisfied, he added, is free to seek legal redress.