Security operatives and government representatives reportedly held a meeting with bandits’ delegates on Sunday in Kofa village, Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State, to discuss a potential amnesty deal.
The meeting was attended by military personnel, State Security Service (DSS) agents, representatives from the local council, traditional leaders from Hakimin Batsari, and members of the Community Watch Corps (CWC), a state government security outfit.
According to an anonymous source present at the meeting, the bandits’ representatives arrived armed with automatic weapons. Among them was Abu Radde, a notorious terrorist known for orchestrating attacks across Batsari, Danmusa, Kankara, Jibia, Safana, and parts of Kaduna and Zamfara states.
The source revealed that during the talks, the bandits released several abductees, including married women and a man, who had been kidnapped in recent raids. In exchange, the bandits requested free movement within Batsari and its neighboring communities, as well as unhindered access to the Batsari market.
This meeting follows a similar attempt last year, whose outcome remains unclear. Katsina State Governor, Dr. Dikko Radda, had previously stated his administration would not negotiate with bandits but would instead collaborate with security agencies to address insecurity.
Former Governor Aminu Masari had granted amnesty to bandits twice during his tenure, but both deals failed as violence escalated in communities previously under truce.
The Batsari meeting occurred just days after Kaduna State, in collaboration with the National Security Adviser’s office, facilitated an amnesty agreement with bandits in five council areas, including Birnin-Gwari, where incidents of kidnappings, killings, and cattle rustling were rampant.
At the time of this report, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, spokesperson for the Katsina police command, had not responded to inquiries regarding the incident.