80% of bandit attacks aided by community informants in Katsina — Govt

The Katsina State Government has raised alarm over the growing role of local informants and collaborators in aiding banditry across the state, revealing that about 80% of attacks are facilitated by insiders within affected communities.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Alhaji Nasir Mu’azu, disclosed this on Thursday in Katsina while briefing journalists on the prevailing security situation.

Mu’azu said investigations revealed that many community members not only serve as informants to bandits but also supply them with food, fuel, and drugs at highly inflated prices in forest hideouts, thus turning the crisis into a business opportunity.

“In one community, a bottle of Coca-Cola was being sold to bandits at N3,000, while a liter of fuel went for N5,000,” he said. “Some even supply illicit drugs and other essentials, making it a lucrative trade.”

The commissioner further narrated shocking incidents, including a case where a man allegedly conspired with bandits to kidnap his own diabetic father. “When the man was taken into the forest, the bandits had already stocked diabetic medication for him. A ransom of N30 million was paid, and the son reportedly received N8 million for orchestrating the abduction,” Mu’azu said.

He also revealed that informants are actively sabotaging military operations by alerting criminals whenever Nigeria Air Force (NAF) jets take off for aerial strikes, causing the bandits to evade detection or seek shelter within the communities.

“These insiders often hide the bandits, making it difficult for NAF to hit their targets,” he lamented. “This has become a major obstacle in the fight against insecurity.”

Mu’azu noted that while banditry accounts for only about 20% of the broader security challenges in the state, the complicity of local residents remains the biggest threat to sustainable peace. He emphasized that kinetic measures alone are not enough and called for increased community cooperation through non-kinetic strategies.

The commissioner urged residents to share credible intelligence with the authorities, assuring that such information would be handled with strict confidentiality.