Bandits in Katsina State on Wednesday met with the state Governor, Aminu Masari, insisting that they would not accept any dialogue with government except their colleagues in prisons were released.
Governor Masari met the bandits, who drawn from Sabuwa and Dandume, at Dankolo village in Sabuwa Local Government Area of the state.
According to the bandits, some of their colleagues had been detained for several years without committing any offence.
One of the bandits, Idris Yayande, told the governor: “We have some complaints. Our biggest complaint is that some of our members were arrested and detained in different prisons across the state. Government should release them before any dialogue.
“They are Alhaji Lawal Bandu, Ibrahim Nabutamu, Sani Marji, Sani Zafi, Lawal Mairuwa and there are some of our children that were arrested by the army in Layin-Mahuta, Juro, Ali, Adamu, Abdulrahman and since then, nobody has told us where they are and what happened to them.
“So, we are pleading with the state government to release them to us. We don’t have anybody in our custody now. We promised before that nobody would farm within this area but because of the dialogue, we surrendered. If you hear of any attack, it is not from us.”
The governor assured that the dialogue would bring peace to Katsina State, North-West and Nigeria, declaring, “we believe that we have started well and there is nothing better than peace.”
