Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, says most bandits are of the Fulani ethnic stock as himself, adding that they speak Fulfulde and profess the same religious beliefs as himself.
He said many northerners might not like his revelation but maintained that his disclosure remains the truth.
In recent times, many states in the northern part of the country have witnessed a series of attacks by suspected bandits, leading to abductions, murder, and cattle rustling — a development that has caused a public outcry.
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The governor spoke on Monday as a guest on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme.
When asked about the identities of bandits terrorising the entire North-West and other parts of the country, Masari said, “They are the same people like me, who speak the same language like me, who profess the same religious beliefs like me.
“So, what we have here on the ground are bandits; they are not aliens, they are people we know, they are people that have been living with us for 100 of years.
“The infiltration we have from some West African countries and North African countries are also people of the Fulani extraction.
“Majority of those involved in this banditry are Fulanis whether it is palatable or it is not palatable but that is the truth. I am not saying 100% of them are Fulani but majority of them are, and these are people who live in the forest and their main occupation is rearing of cattle.”
“Probably, over time, their fortunes dwindled with climate change; lack of access to education also aggravated the situation.
“The fall of Gaddafi, instability in many West and North African countries, the influx of arms and ammunition, accompanied with illegal drugs and intoxicants that polluted the environment, that made them what they are and I think it is our responsibility to cure this.
“We in Katsina, together with other governors in the north-western region, are determined to cure this.”