Akakan Umoh
Bandit leaders in Katsina State have implicated Nigerian Government for sponsoring terrorism and for pushing them into violent crimes.
The bandits made the allegation during a peace meeting between community leaders, security officials, and representatives of the bandits from Charanchi and Batagarawa Local Government Areas held in Wurma town of Kurfi Local Government Area in Katsina State on Saturday.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman of Batagarawa Local Government, Hon. Yahaya Lawal Kawo, representatives from Charanci Local Government, traditional rulers, and delegates of the forest-based Fulani community.
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It ended with both sides signing a peace agreement aimed at restoring calm to the troubled region.
During the gathering, one of the bandits spoke openly to residents, claiming that political interests were behind their involvement in violence.
“It was the government that wanted us to engage in banditry, but now it has called us and told us to stop. Therefore, by God’s grace, we have stopped from today,” he said.
He added that those in power have the means to end insecurity but have failed to do so.
“If the government wants all this insecurity to end, they have the power to end it — but they don’t want it to end,” he continued.
According to him, the group had made several attempts in recent months to reach out for peace talks but were ignored until now.
He further insisted that the government holds the key to lasting peace or there will be continued bloodshed.
The bandit spokesman also directed his message to citizens, saying they should not blame the attackers but the authorities responsible for governance.
“You oppressed citizens — if you want to cry, don’t cry with us, the ‘terrorists,’ but cry with your government, for they are the ones who made us do what we have been doing,” he said.
The meeting marked one of several local peace efforts across northern Nigeria, as communities struggle to end years of violence that have led to thousands of deaths and kidnappings.
Meanwhile, Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi again defended bandits, insisting that many of them act out of revenge rather than pure malice.
Speaking in a recent interview, he argued that the Fulani herdsmen and bandit groups had been victims of injustice.
Gumi, known for his controversial stance on negotiations with armed groups, maintained that the attackers were “on revenge missions” and not naturally violent.
He also cited past meetings where officials engaged directly with thousands of armed men in the forests, saying many of them complained about killings and discrimination.
“The former governor of Bauchi State, (Isa) Yuguda, was able also to go with a government delegation into the bush and they met more than 5,000 bandits. They are all complaining — those who have lost their parents, those who have lost their brothers, those from hostility too,” Gumi said.
While acknowledging that the killings by bandits are “wrong and obnoxious,” he insisted the attackers act out of grievances and vengeance, not sheer brutality.
“Yes, I know they have killed, and it’s wrong to kill anybody innocent. This is absolutely an obnoxious thing to do. We don’t support that. But you see, if you know their psychology, they are on a revenge mission,” he explained.
Although he condemned the killings as “wrong and unacceptable,” Gumi urged the government to focus on dialogue, rehabilitation, and unity instead of solely relying on military operations.
The Katsina peace agreement is expected to test whether such local negotiations can bring any real end to years of insecurity in the North West.
Financiers of banditry named
Meanwhile, individuals financing terrorism in Nigeria, according to the NSC document, the following individuals were listed:
Abdulsamat Ohida – Senior commander (Quaid) of ISWAP Okene, suspected of attacks in Owo and Kuje
Mohammed Sani – Member of ANSARU, linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), trained under Muktar Belmokhtar Abdurrahaman Abdurrahaman – Senior commander (Qaid) of ISWAP Okene
Fatima Ishaq – Financial courier for ISWAP Okene, disbursing funds to widows of fighters
Tukur Mamu – Allegedly handled ransom payments for ISWAP
Yusuf Ghazali – Reported to own businesses cited in a UAE court for transferring terrorist funds
Muhammad Sani – Allegedly received N57 million from Yawale Muhammad between 2014 and 2017
Abubakar Muhammad
Sallamudeen Hassan
Adamu Ishak
Hassana Isah
Abdulkareem Musa
Umar Abdullahi
Abdurrahaman Ado
Bashir Yusuf
Ibrahim Alhassan
Muhammad Isah
Salihu Adamu
Surajo Mohammad
Fannami Bukar
Muhammed Musa.
Bureau de Change entities on terrorism list in the 2024 report are:
West And East Africa General Trading Co. Ltd
Settings Bureau De Change Ltd
Side General Enterprises
Desert Exchange Ventures Limited
Eagle Square General Trading Co Ltd
Alfa Exchange BDC.
