KATSINA, Nigeria \u2014 During a peace dialogue in northern Nigeria, a man identifying himself as a member of an armed bandit group accused the government of contributing to the insurgency it now seeks to end. The statement, made in Charanchi and Batagarawa Local Government Areas of Katsina State, came as local officials signed a pact with armed men believed responsible for years of violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was the government that wanted us to engage in banditry,\u201d the man said. \u201cBut now it has called us and told us to stop. Therefore, by God\u2019s grace, we have stopped from today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The remarks, widely circulated online, have reignited debate over Nigeria\u2019s security strategy, especially in light of the government\u2019s controversial rehabilitation program for surrendered insurgents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Operation Safe Corridor, launched in 2016, is Nigeria\u2019s official initiative to de-radicalize and reintegrate former Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters. As of early 2025, 789 ex-combatants were undergoing rehabilitation, with over 120,000 insurgents and their families reported to have surrendered since the program began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While officials tout the program\u2019s success, critics argue it lacks transparency and accountability. A recent report revealed that some surrendered fighters have evaded the program and reinfiltrated communities, raising concerns about public safety and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security, Alhaji Nasiru Mu\u2019azu, dismissed the bandits\u2019 claims as \u201ca distortion of facts,\u201d insisting the government has never encouraged criminality. \u201cWe have always sought dialogue where possible, and deployed security forces where necessary,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense added, \u201cWe remain committed to restoring peace. Rehabilitation is part of a broader strategy to end violence, not excuse it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Community reactions remain mixed. \u201cIf this peace is real, then maybe we can sleep without fear,\u201d said Fatima Ibrahim, a displaced mother of four. Others, like trader Sani Bello, were skeptical: \u201cThey say they\u2019ve stopped, but what happens next month?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Civil society leaders also weighed in. \u201cPeace cannot be built on staged performances,\u201d said Hauwa Danlami of the Katsina Peace Initiative. Imam Abdulrahman Sani urged justice and transparency: \u201cIf the government truly wants peace, it must listen to all sides.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aminu Garba, a retired schoolteacher, urged patience. \u201cWe have suffered too long. If this is the beginning of peace, let us give it a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Analysts say the Katsina dialogue and the rehabilitation program reflect Nigeria\u2019s struggle to balance security, reconciliation, and justice. \u201cThese groups see themselves not just as criminals, but as political actors,\u201d said Dr. Amina Yusuf of Ahmadu Bello University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the region grapples with insecurity, the government\u2019s dual approach\u2014military force and rehabilitation\u2014continues to spark debate over its effectiveness and moral implications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KATSINA, Nigeria \u2014 During a peace dialogue in northern Nigeria, a man identifying himself as a member of an armed bandit group accused the government of contributing to the insurgency it now seeks to end. The statement, made in Charanchi and Batagarawa Local Government Areas of Katsina State, came as local officials signed a pact […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":23930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[938,936,942,939,937,940,941,943],"class_list":["post-23927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-naija-news","tag-armed-groups","tag-banditry-in-nigeria","tag-conflict-resolution","tag-government-accountability","tag-katsina-peace-deal","tag-nigerian-security-crisis","tag-peace-negotiations","tag-security-sector-reform"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Bandits.jpg?fit=1068%2C753&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23927"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23927\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23933,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23927\/revisions\/23933"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}