A notorious bandit leader, Kachalla Ummaru, has warned security agencies that military crackdowns will only worsen insecurity in Katsina and other parts of the North-West.
Ummaru, who spoke on Saturday during a peace dialogue between bandit groups and community leaders in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, insisted that killings of suspected bandits would only multiply their numbers.
“If today you kill 10 bandits, tomorrow you’ll see 20. Kill 20, another 30 will rise from our bushes and villages,” Ummaru declared in a video obtained by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency platform monitoring Lake Chad and North-West conflicts.
He accused government of neglecting citizens, alleging that officials were only concerned about revenue rather than people’s safety.
“Truth be told, the government doesn’t care about anyone, all it’s after is how to generate money. If the government cared about the people, all these things won’t be happening,” he said.
The bandit kingpin also warned local residents against passing information to security operatives, accusing them of exaggerating reports of casualties to claim rewards.
“You people are also part of the problem because you are fond of complaining to security operatives and giving them information. Even when they come to where we are, they don’t kill even a bird, but you’ll hear in the news that 10 bandits have been killed and they’ll be paid,” Ummaru fumed.
Addressing the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Danmusa LGA, the kingpin demanded that peace talks must be based on reciprocity.
“If you want these talks to yield anything, then every favour we seek should be considered and done for us. It would be shameful if you come to us for something and we don’t do it for you, and the same thing goes for you,” he warned.
The dialogue was convened as part of ongoing reconciliation efforts in Katsina following years of violent attacks and mass abductions. Only last week, 28 abductees were freed in Faskari LGA after a peace deal brokered by local authorities.
Community elders at the meeting appealed to both the bandits and security agencies to honour their commitments for the safety of residents, stressing that any breakdown could drag the state back into bloodshed.
Katsina, like Zamfara, Sokoto, and parts of Kaduna, has been one of the worst-hit states in the wave of banditry that has displaced thousands and claimed hundreds of lives in recent years.
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