Human rights lawyer Bulama Bukarti has raised alarm over peace dialogues between Katsina communities and heavily armed bandit groups, warning that such meetings only embolden criminals while spreading fear among residents.
Recent gatherings in Jibia and Batsari Local Government Areas saw bandits attend openly with sophisticated weapons, as videos and photos showed them displaying heavy arms before villagers.
Bukarti described the scenes as deliberate intimidation, comparing them to military parades aimed at sending a message of fear. He stressed that the possession and display of such weapons, as well as the so-called peace meetings, are unlawful under Nigerian law.
He argued that allowing bandits to openly flaunt power during dialogues weakens the state, noting that true peace cannot come from surrendering to armed groups. While cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has urged security agencies not to disrupt such meetings, Bukarti countered that they amount to submission rather than peace.
He urged government authorities to take full control of any negotiations if they are deemed unavoidable, setting clear conditions, ensuring disarmament, and leading rehabilitation efforts. Leaving communities to negotiate on their own, he warned, only strengthens the hands of the bandits.
These warnings come amid rising insecurity in Katsina State, where rural communities continue to endure killings, abductions, and repeated raids by armed gangs
