Choose your children over weapons, Radda tells bandits

Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda has renewed his appeal to bandits operating in the state to abandon violence, surrender their arms and return to their families, assuring them that the government remains open to dialogue, repentance and reintegration.

Radda made the appeal on Thursday during the inauguration of a 152-unit Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Housing Estate in Magama, Jibia Local Government Area — a project executed under the Northwest Prevention Facility Project, a partnership between the Katsina State Government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

“Lay down your arms and return to your families and communities. The doors for dialogue, repentance and reintegration remain open,” the governor told residents and stakeholders gathered at the event, adding that government interventions creating new economic opportunities would equally be available to those willing to forsake criminality.

Radda identified poverty, displacement, climate change and youth unemployment as key drivers of insecurity in the state, stressing that durable peace required collective action from all segments of society. He called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, women and youth groups to remain vigilant, report suspicious activities and resolve conflicts before they degenerate.

The governor announced a grant of N200,000 per beneficiary household to support displaced families in rebuilding their lives and livelihoods.

Beyond housing, the estate includes a climate peace hub, a veterinary clinic, an entrepreneurship centre and a 50-kilowatt mini solar grid designed to sustain community recovery and promote alternative livelihoods.

Commissioner for Rural and Social Development Abdulhamid Ahmad said the housing units were modelled on local cultural and architectural traditions, with each home comprising two bedrooms, a bathroom, a toilet and a spacious courtyard. He added that the 152 beneficiaries — 70 women and 82 men — were transparently selected from communities across the eleven wards of Jibia Local Government Area that had been most affected by banditry.

UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria Elsie Attafuah reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to Katsina’s recovery, describing the initiative as focused on helping families rebuild and unlocking opportunities for a safer, more prosperous future.

Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Nasiru Danmusa said security conditions in the state had improved markedly under the governor’s policies, with markets and roads reopening and displaced residents returning to their farms and businesses.