Katsina defends release of 70 bandits

The Katsina State Government has justified its plan to facilitate the release of 70 persons facing trial for alleged involvement in banditry, describing it as part of efforts towards consolidating peace deals with armed groups operating across the state.

The state’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Muazu, said the decision was aimed at sustaining peace accords reached between affected communities and “repentant bandits.”

The commissioner explained this in an interview with DCL Hausa on Saturday amid public outrage over a leaked government letter seeking judicial intervention to secure the release of the suspects currently undergoing prosecution.

He said the peace agreements had resulted in the release of about 1,000 abducted persons across several communities.

According to the commissioner, at least 15 local government areas were involved in the peace arrangement, which, he said, had led to the release of about 1,000 abductees.

Muazu likened the release of the suspects to what happens during wartime where warring parties exchange prisoners.

The letter, first reported by Sahara Reporters, was issued by the Katsina State Ministry of Justice and addressed to the Chief Judge of the state, requesting the intervention of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) to facilitate the release of the suspects.

The letter, which was signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Abdur-Rahman Umar, stated that a list of 48 suspects accused of various banditry-related offences had been forwarded to the Ministry of Justice by the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs.

The ministry said the proposed release was to serve as “one of the conditions precedent for the continuance of the peace accord deal signed between the frontline local governments and the bandits.”

The letter also stated that while some of the suspects had been arraigned before the Federal High Court, most of them were still being held at various magistrates’ courts across the state awaiting trial.

Another list of about 22 inmates facing trial before different high courts in Katsina State was also submitted for possible release under the same peace arrangement.

The ministry called on the Chief Judge of the state to take “necessary action,” citing Section 371(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Katsina State, 2021, which outlines the powers of the Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee.

Muazu, while defending the move for the release of the 70 bandits, said the peace deal had yielded measurable results, particularly in the release of abducted persons.

He cited figures of the released abductees from several local government areas as including Sabuwa (310), Bakori (125), Danmusa (60), Dutsinma (62) and Safana (36).

The commissioner stated that neither the Ministry of Justice nor the courts had violated any existing laws, saying anyone dissatisfied with the decision was free to seek legal redress.

“All over the world, after wars, prisoner exchanges usually take place. During Nigeria’s civil war, prisoners were exchanged, just as it happened in negotiations involving Boko Haram.

“The issue is not whether an offence was committed or not, but ensuring peace. Prisoners’ exchange is not a new thing in the history of war and peace,” he said.

‘Names of bandits to be released’

A list obtained by the Katsina Times, an online newspaper in the state, showed that there is a female among the 70 bandits to be released.

Some of the names on the list are Hadiza Dije Hauwa’u from Safana, Gambo Zubairu Faskari, Muntari Yusuf Safana, Yakubu Alhaji Ardo, Tukur Amadu (Liman), İdi Salisu Gaddi, Abdulhayatu Jabiru, Ya’u Buhari and Amadu Rufa’i Anare.

‘Govt must compensate victims’ families’

Speaking to Daily Trust on the telephone last night, the head of Network for Justice, Abdullahi Hassan Kofar Sauri, said the government should compensate families of victims of bandits’ attacks in the state.

He said it was unfortunate that the Katsina State Government and the federal government had given the impression that they were not involved in negotiating with bandits.

“The state government is trying to release some of the convicted bandits that are being tried in the court of law. This is something that the state government said they not involved in. Now, again, well, these people are in their custody.

“The convicted bandits are in the custody of the government. They are in the correctional centres. They have been convicted. So, that means the government is holding them. They have to serve their various sentences.

“Then the news just filtered that about 70 of them were being released. It is really a very disturbing development. And people are concerned. I just wonder: why is the state government now coming back and saying that it is going to release them?

“You see, all of them that were tried and convicted would have happened through prosecution and bringing prosecution witnesses and all kinds of things. Like, for example, I’m just giving an example: I might have probably played a role in trying to give evidence against a bandit and he has been tried and convicted three or four years ago.

“All of a sudden, he is released now under the name of a so-called peace deal. Do you think it will allow me to move around? It won’t. So, again, it is a one-sided affair.

“Somebody was convicted for murder, for arson. What do you do to the family of the victims? In what way are you going to compensate them? Will the state government come out and say okay, since we have released Mr. X, a bandit who destroyed your house or killed your father, now we are going to give you compensation, appropriate compensation, not a paltry sum of $300,000 or $500,000? You have to find the appropriate compensation to give to the people, to the victims.

“But nobody said anything about it. And these same convicted bandits that are going to be released will go back to the villages, to the bushes, along with the local people. How do you reconcile that? That is why people are very skeptical and worried.”

Release of convicted bandits dangerous – Security expert

A security expert, Yahuza Getso, in an interview with Daily Trust last night, described the move to release the bandits as dangerous to Katsina State and the country as a whole, saying they cannot be trusted.

According to him, the move “lacks sincerity and cannot hold water.”

He stated: “I can reliably tell you that I know of a sitting governor from the North West who recently distributed twenty-five motorcycles each to volunteers and bandits. Now, tell me where is the sincerity and commitment to ending insecurity? This act portrays the weakness and insincerity of the government in the fight against banditry.”

Resurgence of bandits’ attacks

The move by the state government to secure the release of 70 bandits is coming amidst the resurgence of bandits’ attacks in the state.

Last Monday, bandits raided some communities in Malumfashi Local Government Area of the state, killing eight persons and kidnapping many others.

The affected villages were Unguwar Alhaji Barau, Gidan Dan Mai-gizo and Gidan Hazo.

As of November last year, 18 of the 34 local government areas in the state had entered into peace deals with bandits. While some of the local government areas have recorded relative calm, others have continued to suffer attacks despite the negotiations, raising questions about the effectiveness of the deals.

The 18 local governments that have entered the peace agreements with bandits are Kankara, Kafur, Malumfashi, Funtua, Batagarawa, Charanchi, Sabuwa, Dandume, Faskari, Matazu, Musawa, Safana, Kurfi, Dutsinma, Jibia, Batsari, Danmusa and Bakori.

Under the agreements, community leaders and traditional rulers pledged to respect the terms, while bandits agreed to cease attacks and release captives.

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