Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State disclosed that bandits in the region are luring young people into criminal activities for as little as N500, as reported by Vanguard.
Speaking on Channels Television's "Politics Today," Governor Radda emphasized poverty as a significant driver of banditry in the country.
Contrary to claims of political motives behind banditry, Governor Radda asserted that poverty plays a pivotal role in the recruitment of youths into the criminal fold. He highlighted the alarming ease with which some youths can be persuaded to join the ranks of bandits, citing sums as meager as N500 as inducements.
He said, “The issue of the hypothesis behind political motive as responsible for banditry is not true.
“Secondly, what also causes the recruitment of under the logistics services for bandits was a result of poverty because surprisingly with N5,000, N2,000, and N500, you can be able to convince some of these youths to join into this exercise which brings about money.”
Expressing concern, Governor Radda depicted banditry as evolving into a lucrative business for various actors, including government officials and security personnel. He lamented the multifaceted challenges hindering efforts to curb the menace, pointing to the complicity of individuals within government and security apparatuses.
Governor Radda stated the complex terrain of the forests, where bandits operate from numerous camps led by different individuals.
He stated, “When you understand the kterrain of the forest, and the different camps that we have within those forests… like in Katsina, we have more than 100 different camps that are being led by somebody.
“So, they have many leaders, many camps and if you’re negotiating with camps A and B and don’t negotiate with camps C and D, it will not bring any lasting peace.”
He reiterated his refusal to engage in negotiations with criminals under circumstances of vulnerability, emphasizing the importance of strength in dealing with the pervasive threat of banditry.
Radda further stated, “Even if you negotiate with the leaders, the other followers of the leaders may not necessarily comply with the directives of their leader.
“So that is what makes the negotiation with the bandits a very difficult task. What I said is that I would never go into negotiations with any criminal at the point of weakness,” he added.