A trending video shared on X and other social media platforms on Thursday showed heavily armed bandit leaders and their foot soldiers staging a victory parade around a community in Bakori local government area of Katsina State after a successful peace deal with the authorities.
Socio-political analyst, Mahdi Shehu who shared the disturbing video, stated that the bandits had just rounded up the meeting with the community where they reportedly tabled some stringent conditions to be met before they would cease hostilities and when their conditions were met, they trooped into the streets to celebrate their victory.
“The bandits fully dressed in arm uniforms, armed to teeth converged at BAKORI local government, Katsina State for a peace deal with the defeated community,” Shehu wrote.
“Over the last ten years, bandits have killed, maimed, raped, injured, incapacitated and traumatized hundreds of thousands of innocent villagers, forcing many to desert their homes and farms.
‘Yet communities have no option but to agree to all those terms dictated by the bandits so that they can at least have some sleep, go to their farms and have a normal market day life.
“From all available evidences, bandits have carved out their own state within a state where their set of rules are superior to the rules claimed to be that of the government. This is the situation in many parts of Northern Nigeria.”
See the video below:
