Eliminating banditry tough because of profits made by security, government officials — Governor

The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Radda, has said that eliminating banditry in the country is difficult because some security operatives and government officials were profiting from it.

The Governor said this on a Channels Television programme: “Politics Today,” adding that it had been turned into a “business venture”. 

Radda said on the Friday edition of the programme: “Now it has turned out to be a business venture. 

“A business venture for the criminals, some people who are in government and some people who are in security outfits, and some people who are responsible for the day-to-day activities of their people.

“These are so many reasons why we are unable to bring banditry to an end.

“The issue of the hypothesis behind political motive as responsible for banditry is not true.”

On the training attended by some Northern governors in the United States of America as part of moves to tackle the region’s insecurity, Radda said: “The meeting was not at the instance of the selected governors of northern states but it was at the instance of the United States Institute of Peace. 

“They were the people who invited us; they hosted us for the meeting. 

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“We were invited to sit with them so that we could bring about lasting solutions to the problems that are affecting our people.

“Ten governors were in the United States, Washington D.C and we had a symposium with the United States Institute of Peace so that we can bring about ideas that will end insecurity that is worrying our people and is a major problem to the subnationals and they carefully chose the governors of the places affected by banditry and kidnapping,” he said.

“All of us sat for three days and we were able to cross-fertilise ideas and interact with all stakeholders that are involved in bringing about lasting peace and security globally.”