Lay down your arms’: Radda renews dialogue offer to bandits

Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has extended an olive branch to bandits operating in the North-west, renewing an offer for dialogue and rehabilitation for those willing to renounce violence. Speaking on Thursday, Radda urged those entrenched in forests across the region to abandon their arms and reintegrate into their communities, highlighting that peace and honest labor present a more viable path.

His remarks came during the inauguration of 152 housing units and other development projects for internally displaced persons (IDPs). This initiative, a collaboration between the Katsina State Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the German government, aims to support families uprooted by years of insecurity. Each beneficiary household will receive a home, essential supplies, and a cash grant of N200,000 to aid their recovery.

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To our brothers and sisters in the bush and forests, to those who still raise weapons against our people and have embraced banditry, kidnapping and violence, hear me clearly today: there is a better way. The doors for dialogue, repentance and reintegration remain open. Lay down your arms, come back to your families and communities. The same opportunities being delivered here today can be yours tomorrow, not through fear or bloodshed, but through peace, good governance and honest labour.

"These houses are far more than walls and roofs. They are a promise kept to internally displaced families who endured the cruel pain of banditry, kidnapping and violent crime," Radda stated, emphasizing the restoration of dignity for those who lost loved ones and livelihoods. He assured the displaced that they have not been forgotten and never will be.

The governor stressed that the state's commitment to peace-building complements ongoing security operations. He reiterated that opportunities for repentance and reintegration remain open to individuals genuinely seeking to abandon criminal activities. The housing project, initiated in October 2024, also includes broader interventions like a Climate Peace Entrepreneurship Centre, solar electrification, a veterinary clinic, and market facilities, addressing underlying drivers of conflict.

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These houses are far more than walls and roofs. They are a promise kept to internally displaced families who endured the cruel pain of banditry, kidnapping and violent crime. Families who lost loved ones, livelihoods and the simple dignity of a place to call home. Today, we restore that dignity. Today, we tell every displaced mother, father and child in Katsina State that they have not been forgotten and never will be.