Katsina defends planned release of 70 suspected bandits

Katsina map

The Katsina state government has defended its decision to facilitate the release of 70 suspected bandits.

In an interview with DCL Hausa, Nasir Muazu, commissioner for internal security and home affairs, the government described the move as essential to consolidating community-driven peace agreements with “repentant bandits” in several LGAs.

The commissioner’s remarks arrived on the heels of widespread criticism of the government’s plan. A document on the move had been leaked to the press.

The letter, issued by the state government, dated January 2, 2026, and marked ‘SECRET’, was reportedly addressed to the chief judge, requesting the intervention of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC) on the facilitation of the release of suspected bandits in custody.

The document was said to have cited section 371(2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Katsina, 2021, and described the action as one of the conditions for sustaining peace accords signed between frontline LGAs and armed groups.

It noted that while some suspects had been arraigned at the federal high court, others remain in detention, awaiting trial at magistrate courts, with an additional list of about 22 inmates facing high court proceedings also submitted for consideration. Thecable