The Katsina State government has announced a new social reintegration program that will provide industrial tools and housing to repentant bandits as part of a broader effort to improve security and prevent a relapse into violence.
According to a statement from the governor’s office, Governor Dikko Radda made the pledge at a high-level security meeting, where he revealed plans to build 152 homes for families displaced by conflict in the Jibia Local Government Area.
“The state government is planning to provide 152 IDP homes in Jibia for displaced families, plus business support packages, cattle and industrial tools for repentant individuals preventing violence relapse,” the statement read.
Governor Radda reiterated that security remains the top priority in his development plan, which also includes a focus on education, agriculture, health, and job creation. The statement from his office acknowledged that while the government has received criticism, it remains open to constructive feedback.
The Deputy Governor, Faruk Lawal-Jobe, provided a detailed list of the administration’s achievements. He claimed that the government has created over 35,000 jobs through various initiatives, including teacher recruitment and the creation of a community watch program.
Among the key projects highlighted were:
- Infrastructure: The government has invested N74.9 billion in urban renewal projects, including a 24-kilometer bypass and road reconstruction across several senatorial districts.
- Education: 160 new classrooms have been built, 258 rehabilitated, and N6.18 billion was awarded in scholarships to over 174,000 students.
- Agriculture and Rural Development: The administration has distributed 400,000 bags of subsidized fertilizer annually, acquired 400 tractors, and launched a goat-rearing initiative to empower women and herders.
- Worker Welfare: N24 billion has been paid out in gratuities and other wage benefits.
- Healthcare: 260 primary health centers have been built or upgraded, and a new dialysis and diagnostic center has been established.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasiru Mu’azu, offered an assessment of the security crisis, attributing the rise in banditry to a complex mix of “greed, envy, natural resource conflicts due to climate change, and long-standing social injustices.”
He noted that the problem, which was once contained in five local government areas between 2011 and 2015, has now spread to 25 areas following the collapse of a previous amnesty program. Mu’azu clarified that recent peace agreements in some areas were community-driven and not initiated by the state government.
