WorldStage– Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umar Radda has firmly denied the existence of any formal, government-backed peace deal with bandits, stating his administration will not negotiate with criminals and is focusing on other security measures
Earlier report said the local governments of Charanci and Batagarawa in Katsina State joined their counterparts in engaging in a peace dialogue with armed Fulani groups residing in the forests.
A report from @Zagazolaolamakama on Twitter X, said the dialogue was held on Saturday in Wurma (Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina State and brought together the Batagarawa LG chairman Hon. Yahaya Lawal Kawo, Charanci LG reps, traditional rulers and delegates of the forest-based Fulani community.
The dialogue session reportedly ended on a positive note, as representatives of the Fulani groups pledged to embrace lasting peace and coexist peacefully with neighboring communities.
Delegates at the meeting were said to have called on the Presidency and Nigeria’s security agencies to take careful, coordinated, and lawful action in the national interest.
Aside the governor’s denial, the meeting has also raised serious questions from concerned individuals and some civil society groups, particularly regarding under whose authority such engagements were conducted and whether due approval was obtained from higher security or governmental bodies.
According to them, the development must be treated with the utmost seriousness, investigated thoroughly, monitored transparently, and addressed in strict accordance with national security protocols.
