Armed bandits terrorising Sabuwa and Dandume Local Government areas of Katsina State, yesterday, gave Governor Aminu Masari conditions for dialogue with the state government.
They are demanding the release of arrested colleagues before accepting to dialogue.
Leading other bandits, Idris Yayande, said some of their members were apprehended and kept in detention for years without committing any offence.
Yayande stated this in Dankolo village, Sabuwa Local Government Area, during a dialogue meeting with the state government.
According to him, “our biggest complaint is that some of our members were unjustly arrested and detained for years in different prisons across the state.
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“We have 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 last year— Juro, Ali, Adamu, Abdulrahman— and since then nobody told us where they are and what happened to them.
“Government should release them before dialogue. We have vowed not to allow anybody farm within this area, but because of the dialogue we surrendered.
“So we are pleading with the state government to release them to us. We don’t have anybody in our custody now and if you hear of any attack it is not from us.”
On his part, Governor Masari said the state government would secure the release of their members in detention to ensure that peace and normalcy return in the state.
Masari, however, expressed optimism that the dialogue would bring peace to the state, North-West and Nigeria in general.
Vanguard