Governor Dikko Radda has alleged that informants within government institutions, security agencies and local communities are leaking intelligence to bandits operating in Katsina State.
Speaking during an interview with Channels Television, the governor said efforts to combat insecurity in the state were being frustrated by individuals secretly supplying information to criminal groups.
Radda specifically referred to a notorious bandit identified as Mohammed, claiming the suspect regularly receives advance information about government and security operations.
“This notorious person that is disturbing us, we know him. He is Mohammed; that is his name. Everybody knows him. His father, his mother, and his grandfather were born there,” the governor said. He accused some members of affected communities of assisting the suspect by withholding information from authorities.
“The communities are not giving the right information. I can say that, in a way, some of them are helping him,” he added. Radda further alleged that sensitive details from high level government security meetings were reaching the bandits almost immediately after discussions took place.
“The day I called for a high level security meeting here at the state government on how to operate and deal with the situation, five minutes after the meeting, he already knew what we had discussed,” he said. According to the governor, the alleged leaks have enabled bandits to avoid arrest and even prepare ambushes against security personnel responding to attacks.
“And whenever there is information about an attack and security operatives move to the area, the moles within the community will call and inform him that security personnel are coming and which route they are taking, allowing them to lay ambushes for the security operatives,” Radda stated. “So, this is the kind of situation we are in. There are moles among us, moles among the security agencies, and moles among the communities.”
The governor also addressed the issue of negotiating with bandits, despite criticism from some political leaders opposed to dialogue with armed groups.
Radda said he initially rejected negotiations but later allowed certain communities to engage bandits after residents argued it could help restore peace in areas repeatedly affected by violence.
“I was the one who initially took the position against negotiating with bandits. But when the situation became unbearable, the communities approached me and said, ‘Your Excellency, we have met with these people, they are ready to lay down their arms,’” he said.
According to the governor, some local government areas that entered into peace agreements with bandits have reportedly gone more than a year without attacks.
“As I speak with you today, there are some local governments that entered into peace negotiations with bandits, and for over a year, there have been no attacks in those places,” he said. “We now have peace in most of the local governments where these incidents used to occur.”
Radda maintained, however, that he would not personally initiate talks with bandits, though he said he would consider negotiations if approached from what he described as a position of strength rather than weakness.
