Katsina Government Opens Peace Talks With Bandits in Troubled Communities

The Katsina State Government has initiated a peace dialogue with armed bandits in Kakumi town, Bakori Local Government Area, as part of renewed efforts to restore lasting peace in the state’s violence-hit regions.

The meeting, which began on Sunday, reportedly brought together representatives from at least five local government areas — Bakori, Kankara, Funtua, Kafur, and Malumfashi — all of which have suffered repeated bandit attacks in recent years.

According to local sources, the dialogue aims to broker a ceasefire and secure commitments from the armed groups to end hostilities in affected communities. However, details of the discussions remain sketchy as of press time.

Katsina, one of the states most affected by banditry in northwest Nigeria, has in the past experimented with peace initiatives that produced mixed results.

Earlier reports by SaharaReporters indicated that despite failing to renounce their criminal activities or surrender their weapons after a previous peace agreement, the Chairman of Sabuwa Local Government Area, Engr. Sagir Tanimu, recently attended the wedding of children belonging to some of the bandits.

The ceremony, held in Kadawan Dandume village — a community recently reconciled with local authorities after years of clashes — was reportedly part of the state’s ongoing reconciliation efforts with armed groups.

Tanimu was said to have attended the event alongside Alhaji Ibrahim Bello Kogo, the Prince of Kogo Emirate, and the District Head of Sabuwa.

While the government continues to explore dialogue as a pathway to peace, residents insist that true reconciliation can only be achieved when the armed groups formally renounce violence and surrender their weapons.