Northwest Governors Meet Defense Chief to Tackle Banditry Surge in Katsina, Zamfara & Beyond

In a bid to curb rising insecurity in Nigeria’s Northwest, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State, who also chairs the Northwest Governors Forum, led a delegation of regional leaders to a closed-door meeting with General Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, at the Defense Headquarters in Abuja.

Joining Governor Radda were:

• Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State

• Deputy Governor Idris Mohammed Gobir of Sokoto State

• Secretary to the Kebbi State Government, Alhaji Yakubu Bala

The high-level talks followed a recently successful military offensive in the region that saw several bandit enclaves dismantled and key criminal figures neutralized.

Though official details were sparse, security sources confirmed that the meeting centered on:

• Enhancing interstate coordination

• Scaling up rural surveillance and response capacity

• Strengthening military-civilian cooperation in affected areas

The Northwest geopolitical zone, particularly Katsina, Zamfara, and Sokoto, has endured years of bandit-led violence. From mass kidnappings to violent raids on rural communities, residents have consistently demanded greater security presence and protection.

The governors’ visit is being seen as a collective reaffirmation of political will to end the region’s security crisis and work more closely with federal security agencies.

Security analysts and civic groups have praised the move, calling for more transparent communication, data sharing, and community-based intelligence gathering to support military efforts on the ground.

“For the Northwest to stabilize, governors must move beyond policy declarations to actionable partnerships with the military,” said one Abuja-based expert.