Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has raised fresh concerns over the growing activities of informants allegedly working with bandits in parts of the state, saying security operations are being compromised from within communities and even among security personnel.
The governor said criminal gangs operating in troubled areas of the state often receive updates about planned operations only minutes after security meetings are concluded.
Radda spoke during an interview on Channels Television while discussing the security challenges facing the North-West state.
According to him, the existence of moles within communities has made the fight against banditry more difficult, despite ongoing military operations and efforts by the state government to restore peace.
“The problem we have now is the communities. The communities are not giving the right information. I can say in a way, some of them are helping them,” the governor said.
He identified a notorious bandit leader known as Muhammad as one of the major figures behind attacks in Musawa and Matazu local government areas, adding that the suspect is widely known by residents in the affected communities.
“And this notorious person that is disturbing Musawa and Matazu, we know him. He’s Muhammad. That is his name. Everybody knows him. His father, his mother, and his grandfather were born there,” Radda stated.
The governor disclosed that intelligence leaks have repeatedly frustrated security operations, alleging that confidential discussions within government circles quickly find their way to criminal groups.
“There was a day I called for a meeting here, a high-level security meeting in the Government House on how to operate and deal with the situation. Five minutes after the meeting, he knew what we discussed,” he revealed.
“There are moles among us, moles among the security, moles among the communities. That makes it more challenging.”
Radda said bandits now rely heavily on informants who monitor the movement of security operatives and provide real-time updates that help the criminals evade arrest or prepare attacks.
He explained that once troops or security personnel move into an area, informants quickly alert the bandits about the routes being used by the operatives.
“Once the security move to the area, his moles among the people in the communities will call him and tell him that the security are coming. They have followed this road. So they will lay ambush for the security,” the governor added.
The governor also accused the armed groups of attempting to manipulate public opinion by sponsoring protests in affected communities to pressure the government into reducing military offensives against them.
“He has even brought out a new strategy that you go inside the village to demonstrate against the government so that they will put pressure on the government to allow him not to be pursued,” he said.
Despite the continued attacks, Radda maintained that the security situation in the state has improved since he assumed office. According to him, several local government areas that were once under serious threat have now witnessed relative stability.
“When I took over this state, there were about 24 local governments under siege. But now, most of the challenges we are witnessing today are within two local governments,” he stated.
The governor further disclosed that the state government is considering the deployment of drone technology to strengthen surveillance and support security operations in vulnerable communities.
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