Banditry Now ‘Business Venture’ for Government Officials, Security Agencies — Katsina Governor, Radda

4th May 2024

The Katsina State governor, Dikko Radda, has revealed that some security personnel and government officials had turned the insecurity situation in Nigeria to business ventures.

The governor mentioned this when he appeared on Friday’s edition of Channels TV’s ‘Politics Today’, adding that this was one of the reasons why it was difficult to end the menace of banditry and insecurity generally.

He said, “Now it has turned out to be a business venture. A business venture for the criminals, some people who are in government; some people who are in security outfits, and some people who are responsible for the day-to-day activities of their people.

“These are so many reasons why we are unable to bring banditry to an end.”

Lately, criminal bands locally known as bandits have repeatedly attacked and ravaged rural communities in Nigeria.

SaharaReporters had reported thousands of incidents of kidnapping and abduction by the bandits.

President Bola Tinubu has made eliminating insecurity a priority.

Many people relate insecurity to politics.

But Governor Radda claimed that poverty and injustice were important motivators.

The governor continued: ”The issue of the hypothesis behind political motive as responsible for banditry is not true.”

According to him, many youths in the north were recruited into banditry with mere N500.

As part of moves to tackle the region’s insecurity, some northern governors were on a trip to the US.

Though they came under heavy criticism for the meeting with many wondering why it was not held in Nigeria, Radda had said they were only invited to the parley.

“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,” he said.

Governor Radda said the trip gave the governors fresh insights into insecurity in the region.