The Katsina State Government has revealed that a significant portion of the ongoing insecurity in the state is fueled by informants and certain community members who support criminal elements operating in forested areas.
State’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Alhaji Nasir Mu’azu, made this disclosure during a press briefing in Katsina on Thursday, where he shed light on the troubling realities complicating the fight against banditry.
The commissioner said, “some members of those affected communities serve as informants to the criminals or provide them with their needs at exorbitant prices in the bush.”
He noted that these residents not only pass on sensitive information to the bandits but also supply them with essential commodities, ranging from food to fuel and illicit substances, often at highly inflated prices.
Mu’azu cited a disturbing case, “In one of the communities affected by the insecurity, a man was found to be selling a bottle of Coca-Cola for N3,000; another sold fuel for N5,000 per litre to the bandits.
“Some members of the communities provide the bandits with drugs and other illicit drugs at a high amount, making it a lucrative business for them,” he added.
Worse still, the commissioner said some individuals have gone as far as collaborating with the criminals to orchestrate kidnappings, even of their own relatives.
“In another case, we found a man who connived with bandits to abduct his biological father, who was diabetic.
“When the bandits brought him to their hideout, they had already reserved diabetic tablets for his daily consumption.
“The sum of N30 million was paid as ransom for the man, and N8 million was given to the man for compromising and allowing his father to be abducted,” he revealed.
Mu’azu further pointed out that such informants also compromise military efforts.
“Informants were known for alerting bandits whenever Nigeria Air Force (NAF) jets leave the airport with the aim of bombing their hideouts,” he said, adding that the bandits often escape into safe havens shielded by residents.
This, he said, is one of the key reasons the Air Force missions frequently fall short of their intended objectives.
While bandit activities form only 20 percent of the broader insecurity problem, Mu’azu said, the remaining challenge stems largely from a lack of community cooperation.
He stressed that the government has recorded progress in several local government areas through kinetic military action, but emphasized the need for non-kinetic strategies, such as trust-building and intelligence-sharing, for sustainable peace.
The commissioner called on residents to support the government’s efforts by reporting any suspicious activity.
“We urge the public to come forward and provide sensitive information that would lead to viable solutions in addressing insecurity,” Mu’azu appealed.
He assured that all intelligence provided would be handled with “utmost confidentiality.”