The Katsina State Government has expressed deep concern over the persistent insecurity affecting various parts of the state, identifying local community members and informants as major contributors to the ongoing crisis.
According to the government, a staggering 80 percent of the security challenges are fueled by internal sabotage from within the affected communities.
This revelation was made by the State Commissioner for Internal Security, Nasir Mu’azu, during a press briefing held on Thursday, July 31, 2025, shortly after a high-level joint security meeting at the Government House in Katsina.
Mu’azu disclosed that security investigations have uncovered disturbing evidence showing that certain individuals within the communities are deliberately aiding criminal elements—particularly bandits—by supplying them with essential goods and intelligence, all in pursuit of personal financial gain.
“Our findings indicate that some community members are willingly providing services and goods to bandits at highly inflated prices. For instance, a litre of fuel is sold to them for as much as N5,000, and a single bottle of soft drink goes for around N3,000,” Mu’azu stated.
He lamented that although the state possesses adequate security personnel, efforts to stamp out banditry and kidnapping have been severely hindered by local collaboration with the criminals. He emphasized that the bandits often rely entirely on these informants and suppliers for survival, direction, and evasion of military action.
“These criminals don’t operate in isolation. They don’t magically know where to get supplies or hideouts. It’s members of the communities—people with shops and knowledge of local terrain—who sell to them, inform them, and shield them from capture,” the commissioner explained.
Highlighting some shocking examples, Mu’azu revealed that in one community, a man was caught selling a bottle of soft drink to bandits for N3,000, while another individual was discovered selling fuel at N5,000 per litre.
Even more troubling was the case of pharmaceutical products, where common drugs—normally sold for a few thousand naira—were reportedly sold to bandits in deals running into millions of naira.
In one particularly disturbing incident, Mu’azu recounted how a man orchestrated the abduction of his own diabetic father in collaboration with a gang of bandits. “The son was fully involved in the kidnapping of his father, who requires daily diabetic medication.
When the victim was taken into the forest, the bandits were already prepared with the necessary medication. A ransom of N30 million was eventually paid, and the son received N8 million for his betrayal,” he revealed.
He also condemned the actions of informants who routinely provide intelligence to criminal gangs about security operations. “These informants monitor and alert the bandits anytime the Nigerian Air Force deploys jets for air raids, which has repeatedly led to failed missions,” Mu’azu added.
Despite these daunting challenges, the commissioner maintained that the state government has achieved notable success in combating insecurity in some local government areas, largely through kinetic (military and force-based) strategies.
However, he stressed the need to incorporate non-kinetic approaches—such as community engagement, dialogue, and socio-economic interventions—in order to achieve lasting peace and stability across the state.
“The fight against insecurity cannot be won by force alone. We must also win the hearts and minds of the people. Without their cooperation and trust, our efforts will continue to face setbacks,” Mu’azu concluded.