Authorities in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina state announced a breakthrough peace deal with criminal gangs over the weekend.
The gangs, known locally as bandits, have long terrorised Katsina and neighbouring states with raids, kidnappings, and arson attacks.
These bandits operate from forest camps spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, and Niger states, targeting villages and schools in a wave of violence.
On Saturday, twelve bandit leaders met community officials in Danmusa, pledging to renounce violence and embrace peace, said Katsina’s internal commissioner Nasiru Mu’azu.
Mu’azu said the bandits themselves initiated the meeting, offering to end their criminal activities and surrender weapons as a sign of goodwill.
The bandits also freed seventeen hostages, promising to release more, while the community cautiously accepted the peace overtures.
Authorities had previously rejected peace talks after past deals collapsed and violence resumed, underscoring deep mistrust on both sides.
Though lacking political motives, the bandits’ financial greed and ties to insurgent groups have heightened fears among officials and security experts.
In 2023, Governor Dikko Umar Radda launched the Katsina Community Watch Corps, deploying about 2,000 vigilantes alongside security forces to combat the gangs.
Mu’azu emphasised the state’s firm stance: “We will not negotiate from weakness,” but acknowledged the bandits’ voluntary outreach deserved a chance.
Nearby Kaduna state recently broke its no-negotiation policy by signing a peace accord with gangs in Birnin-Gwari, signalling shifting strategies.
The delicate accord in Katsina marks a fragile step toward ending years of bloodshed and restoring calm to a region long haunted by bandit violence.