The Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda, has raised the alarm over alleged infiltration of government structures, security agencies, and local communities by informants who supply sensitive information to bandits, thereby frustrating ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the state.
Radda said the activities of such “moles” have severely undermined the fight against insecurity, revealing that criminal networks are often alerted shortly after high-level security decisions are taken.
The governor made the revelations in an exclusive interview, where he cited a notorious bandit leader identified simply as Mohammed, alleging that the suspect benefits from real-time intelligence supplied by insiders across different sectors.
“This notorious person that is disturbing us — we know him. He is Mohammed; that is his name. Everybody knows him. His father, his mother, and his grandfather were born there. But the problem we have is the community. The communities are not giving the right information. In a way, some of them are helping him,” Radda said.
According to him, the breach of confidentiality has reached alarming proportions, with security discussions reportedly leaking almost immediately after meetings.
“It is not a hidden thing because he gets information. The day I called for a high-level security meeting here at the state government on how to operate and deal with the situation, five minutes after the meeting, he already knew what we had discussed,” he said.
Radda further alleged that informants embedded within communities and security structures alert the bandits ahead of planned military or police operations, enabling them to escape arrest or lay ambushes for operatives.
“There are moles giving him information among us. In fact, he has even developed a new strategy where he incites villages to protest against the government so they can pressure the government not to pursue him.
“And whenever there is information about an attack and security operatives move to the area, the moles within the community will call and inform him that security personnel are coming and which route they are taking, allowing them to lay ambushes for the security operatives,” he said.
Describing the situation as deeply troubling, the governor said the infiltration cuts across multiple layers of society.
“So, this is the kind of situation we are in. There are moles among us, moles among the security agencies, and moles among the communities,” he added.
On the issue of negotiations with bandits, Radda clarified that although he initially opposed dialogue with armed groups, some communities later sought approval to engage in peace talks due to persistent attacks.
He said he allowed the communities to proceed on their own initiative, insisting that his administration prioritises the will of the people where it aligns with restoring peace.
“I was the one who initially took the position against negotiating with bandits. But when the situation became unbearable, the communities approached me and said they had met these people and they were ready to lay down their arms.
“I told them they could go ahead, but I would not be part of it. As I speak with you today, there are some local governments that entered into peace negotiations with bandits, and for over a year, there have been no attacks in those places,” he said.
The governor, however, maintained that he would not initiate any negotiation with armed groups, adding that any engagement must be from a position of strength rather than weakness.
Radda’s comments come amid renewed concerns over escalating banditry, kidnappings, and reprisal attacks in parts of northern Nigeria, particularly rural communities in Katsina State.
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