The Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda, has revealed why banditry activities and kidnapping still persist in his state and Nigeria at large.
Radda, who was a guest on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, alleged that some security personnel and government officials are contributing to the growing insecurity in the northern region, adding that most of them have now turned banditry into a “business venture”.
“Now it has turned out to be a business venture—a business venture for the criminals, some government officials, some security outfits, and some people who are responsible for their people’s day-to-day activities.
“These are so many reasons why we are unable to bring banditry to an end,” the governor said.
Naijaonpoint reports that over the past few years, criminal groups referred to as bandits have carried out multiple attacks on various locations, particularly in rural areas in the northern part of the country, kidnapping numerous individuals and causing fatalities.
President Bola Tinubu has placed a strong emphasis on addressing the issue of insecurity.
While some believe that politics plays a role in the insecurity, Governor Radda argues that poverty and injustice are significant contributing factors.
”The issue of the hypothesis behind political motive as responsible for banditry is not true,” the Katsina State governor said.
According to him, many youths in the north are recruited into banditry with a mere N500.
Speaking further on the moves by the governors of the northern region to tackle the region’s insecurity, Governor Radda said the governors were recently on a trip to the US.
Despite heavy criticism for the meeting, with many wondering why it was not held in Nigeria, Radda has said they were only invited to the parley.
He said: “The meeting was not at the instance of the selected governors of northern states but it was at the instance of the United States Institute of Peace. They were the people who invited us; they hosted us for the meeting. We were invited to sit with them so that we could bring about lasting solutions to the problems that are affecting our people.”
According to him, the trip provided them with fresh insights into insecurity in the region.
“Ten governors were in Washington, D.C., and we had a symposium with the United States Institute of Peace so that we could bring about ideas that will end the insecurity that is worrying our people and is a major problem to the subnationals. They carefully chose the governors of the places affected by banditry and kidnapping.
“All of us sat for three days and we were able to cross-fertilise ideas and interact with all stakeholders that are involved in bringing about lasting peace and security globally,” the Katsina governor said.