Community leaders and council chairmen from Charanchi and Batagarawa Local Government Areas of Katsina State have signed a peace agreement with a group of armed bandits in a bid to end years of violence and insecurity.
During the meeting held over the weekend, one of the bandit leaders addressed residents, alleging that political actors had fuelled the insurgency.
“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,” the armed man declared.
He further claimed that the continuation or cessation of violence rests entirely on the government’s will, saying, “If the government wants peace, we will make it happen. If they want us to keep striking, we will.”
The peace pact comes amid renewed attacks across the Northwest and North Central regions.
In Kebbi State, a customs officer was killed when suspected Lakurawa terrorists attacked a Nigeria Customs Service checkpoint in Kaoje, Bagudo Local Government Area, on Saturday night. The heavily armed attackers stormed the camp on motorcycles, opened fire on officers, and set the facility ablaze before fleeing into the nearby border forests.
Security analyst Bakatsine confirmed the incident on X, describing it as part of a troubling pattern of coordinated assaults in the region.
Meanwhile, in Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule has condemned a deadly midnight attack on residents of Sarkin Noma in Keana Local Council. His spokesperson, Peter Ahemba, said the state government is determined to prevent further infiltration by criminal elements.
“The government will not watch enemies of peace succeed in their evil acts,” he stated, assuring residents that new security measures were being implemented.
In Sokoto State, the Chairman of Isa Local Council, Shareef Abubakar Kamarawa, has dismissed allegations of negligence over an attack in Bargaja village that left six people dead and several others kidnapped. He insisted the council acted promptly on intelligence reports by mobilising local guards and alerting security agencies ahead of the assault.
The string of incidents underscores the deepening insecurity gripping Nigeria’s northern states despite local efforts at reconciliation and peace-building.
