- Katsina communities record improved security after peace deal with bandits
- Radda visits Batsari and Danmusa, including the once-dangerous Danburum forest
- Farming resumes as peace gradually returns, lives lost in past recalled
- Medical spending on victims drops drastically, governor confirms
Governor Dikko Radda has applauded several Katsina communities for taking bold steps toward restoring peace through negotiated deals with bandits. The governor, who toured Batsari and Danmusa councils on Friday, described the progress as a remarkable shift from years of fear and bloodshed.
His visit took him through the Danburum forest, a route many locals once avoided. The forest earned a grim reputation over the years: ambushes, killings, kidnappings, and entire villages living at the mercy of armed groups. Today, Radda says, the narrative is changing.
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“The peace deal initiative organised by communities is yielding very positive results,” he told reporters. According to him, for several days running, no major security alerts were reported, a development he said was almost unthinkable months ago.
Witnesses travelling with the governor said the convoy stopped midway inside Danburum forest. Some officials walked a short distance into the bush, picked wild fruits, and shared them among themselves, a symbolic moment that suggested confidence was gradually returning to the area.
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Radda revealed that medical bills for banditry victims, previously running over ₦40 million monthly, dropped drastically to under ₦2 million in November, showing fewer casualties and fewer attacks. Support funds for rescued victims and bereaved families, once strained, have also slowed as peace gains ground.
Yet, he cautioned, Katsina is not completely free from threats. The governor urged religious leaders and residents to continue praying and keeping the peace process alive.
“We are not there yet, but the progress we’ve made is real,” he said. “We thank God for what we are seeing.”
