Activist Mahdi Shehu Raises Alarm Over ‘Victory Parade’ by Armed Bandits in Katsina

Prominent activist Mahdi Shehu has sounded the alarm over what he described as a “victory parade” staged by armed bandits in Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State, warning that criminal groups now operate with alarming impunity across parts of Northern Nigeria.

In a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Shehu said heavily armed bandits, clad in full combat uniforms, recently gathered in Bakori under the guise of a “peace deal” with a local community they had earlier subdued.

He lamented that over the past decade, banditry has claimed countless lives and left hundreds of thousands killed, maimed, raped, or displaced, devastating rural economies and pushing many communities into poverty and fear.

According to Shehu, many residents have been forced to submit to the bandits’ authority just to survive, agreeing to their conditions to gain temporary safety, access farmlands, or carry out basic trade in local markets.

“The bandits have effectively carved out their own state within a state, where their rules override those of the government,” Shehu wrote.

He further warned that similar patterns of control and coercion are now evident in several other parts of Northern Nigeria, where state presence is weak and local populations are left vulnerable.

The activist’s revelations have sparked widespread concern online, with many Nigerians expressing outrage over the deepening insecurity and the growing influence of non-state armed groups in rural communities.

Observers say the situation underscores the urgent need for stronger security operations, community resilience programs, and sustained government intervention to reclaim territories under bandit control.