The Chairman of Faskari Local Government Area in Katsina State, Hon. Surajo Aliyu Daudawa, has reportedly entered a forest to personally negotiate with bandits, resulting in the release of 26 kidnapped victims from the Tafoki community.
According to reports, Daudawa held direct talks with a Fulani armed group that had previously signed a peace agreement with the local community, despite repeated warnings from security agencies against engaging in such negotiations.
The negotiation was allegedly led by a notorious bandit leader, Isiya Kwashen Garwa, who facilitated the safe release of the abductees on Sunday. A video and photographs from the scene showed the local government chairman standing beside Garwa, who appeared heavily armed with weapons and ammunition visibly strapped to his body.
Faskari Local Government Area, one of the flashpoints of banditry in Katsina State, has suffered repeated kidnappings, killings, and raids in recent years. Residents say the chairman’s direct intervention came after weeks of intensified abductions that left communities in fear and despair.
Meanwhile, security experts and military authorities have condemned such peace missions, warning that they undermine national security operations.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, recently cautioned against making peace deals or negotiating with bandits, stressing that such actions have repeatedly failed and often embolden criminal groups.
Speaking in Hausa during a media interview, General Musa said those who engage in unauthorized talks with bandits risk worsening insecurity, as the criminals typically exploit truces to regroup and launch fresh attacks.
Neither the Katsina State Government nor the Nigerian military has officially reacted to the latest negotiation involving the Faskari council chairman.