Governor of Katsina State, Umaru Radda has said the activities of bandits in the state and other parts of the northwest, including Niger State, have cast shadows in most of the communities, crippling social and economic activities in the areas.

At the Northwest Peace and Security Summit organised by the Northwest Governors Forum in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Katsina, the chairman of the forum, Governor Radda vowed that the forum would not allow the menace of banditry defy the region.

He said, “As leaders, we must adopt a multi-facet approach that includes robust intelligence gathering, community policing and deploying advanced security technology. Furthermore, to enhance the capacity of our national security forces, we will continue to improve it and provide adequate resources.

“To effectively combat banditry, we need to strengthen intelligence gathering networks, this means improving our surveillance system, investing in modern technology, such as drones and satellite imagery and enhancing coordination among our security agencies.

“We must establish the most efficient communication to ensure timely response to threats,” he said.

Radda thanked President Bola Tinubu for the efforts put into tackling banditry in the northwest and other parts of the country, saluting the efforts of the security agencies, and condoling the families of the fallen heroes who made the supreme sacrifice on the battlefield.