The Government of Katsina State said it was prepared to equip and train communities willing to defend themselves against criminals and other terror gangs traumatizing them
.
Katsina State Governor, Mal Dikko Radda made the declaration on Friday during a Public Engagement in continuation of the 2025 Citizens’ Budget Participation Process and the launch of a Community Development Programme in Katsina.
Gov Dikko highlighted the challenges of the hard to reach communities in times of attacks, giving examples of Tsamiyar-jino, where it takes hours for security forces to reach during emergencies.
“We have come up with an initiative that for any community ready to depend on itself, we will give them the necessary support and training to engage criminals before the arrival of the security agents,” Radda said.
He lamented the insufficient number of security personnel in the state, acknowledging that they are stretched to effectively cover all communities.
Governor Radda urged citizens to take a more active role in defending their communities, expressing frustration over the increasing loss of lives due to criminal activities.
“I am surprised at the way we are dying in such a humiliating manner,” he said.
“You see five criminals attacking a community of 2,000 to 3,000 people, raping daughters, women, and abducting others without any confrontation from the people of that community.”
Radda highlighted cases where some community members have collaborated with bandits, citing an incident where a village head representative allegedly accepted N700,000 from bandits, resulting in the killing of 30 people.
He also mentioned the involvement of women and a teacher as informants for criminal activities.
In response to these security challenges, Governor Radda’s administration has created a Community Security Watch Corps, recruiting youths from front-line local governments.
These recruits have been trained and integrated with the police and military to work in collaboration after being provided with rifles, bulletproof vests, uniforms, and other essential equipment.
Additionally, the government has provided the security corps with 700 motorcycles, 65 Hilux vehicles, and 10 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), while also rehabilitating police vehicles.
The state covers N3 million in monthly fueling and maintenance costs for the front-line local governments, N1.5 million for vulnerable LGAs, and N750,000 for other LGAs
