Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has announced the state government’s commitment to empowering local communities in their efforts to support security personnel in safeguarding their areas from bandits, kidnappers, and other criminals.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, speaking at a Public Engagement, 2025 Citizens’ Budget Participation Process, and the launch of a Community Development Programme in the Katsina zone on Friday, the governor shared the initiative.
He stated, “We have come up with an initiative that for any community ready to depend on itself, we will give them necessary support and training to engage criminals before the arrival of the security agents.”
Radda recounted a visit to the remote village of Tsamiyar-jino, noting the time it took to reach the area.
“I went to a village, Tsamiyar-jino, where it took me two hours inside a Jeep before I reached the village from the main road. So, if bandits attack such areas, from the time you inform the security, it will take them over two hours before they can respond to the distress call. By then, whatever is going to happen will have happened – they will have killed people and kidnapped others,” he stated.
He expressed frustration over the inadequacy of security personnel available for the state’s numerous communities, stating, “I have said it several times, that the security agents cannot do this work alone. We didn’t even have enough of them. I am surprised at the way we are dying in such a humiliating manner. We were told that anyone who died in defence of his family will enter Paradise. You see five criminals attacking a community of 2,000 to 3,000 people, rape daughters, women and abducting others without any confrontation from the people of that community.”
The governor criticized the lack of resistance from local residents and cited an example of corruption. “If there are 100 youths in the community who confront them, they will not shoot for more than three times without being captured with bare hands. Paying ransom doesn’t even prevent a hostage from being killed by abductors, sometimes they collect the money and kill the victim. There was a representative of the village head who collected N700,000 from bandits and allowed them to enter his area and killed about 30 people.”
Radda reported that his administration had established a Community Security Watch Corps, recruiting youth from the most affected local governments.
“We trained them and attached them with the police and the army to work in synergy after providing them rifles, bulletproof vests, umbrellas, three sets of uniforms and shoes, among others,” he said.
Additionally, the government has supplied the corps with 700 motorcycles, 65 Hilux trucks, and 10 Armoured Personnel Carriers along with rehabilitating existing police vehicles.
“We pay N3 million for fueling and maintenance of those vehicles to front-line local governments, N1.5 million for vulnerable local governments, and N750,000 for the remaining LGAs,” Radda added.
The administration has also acquired advanced surveillance equipment, noting, “Our own is 5G and not the normal 3G.”
In conclusion, the governor urged citizens to enhance their efforts in providing timely information to security agents for improved safety and protection.
