27th December, 2021
Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has kicked against the request for dialogue by a notorious bandit, Bello Turji.
Mr Masari in a Sunday interview with DW Hausa radio said the time for a ceasefire was over.
The governor stated this while reacting to a controversial letter by Turji, seeking dialogue with the government.
Turji had written an open letter, seeking dialogue and a ceasefire.
Masari, who had engaged in peace talks with bandits in the past, however, said the time for a peace accord has expired.
Though the letter was not addressed to him, the Katsina governor said Turji was not sincere in his letter.
“Dialogue? With who? Who is he to talk of dialogue or ceasefire? He is a liar. He can’t tell us peace accord and dialogue. To sit and discuss peace accord with who? In what capacity is he speaking and even calling for dialogue,” Masari said about Turji’s letter.
“Go and tell those he (Mr Turji) killed their families to do dialogue with him and see. And he is even setting conditions, what conditions is he setting and for what? He wants dialogue and he is even setting conditions.”
Turji’s terror group is one of the several gangs of bandits operating in the North-west and North-central states.
The groups, operating as bandits, attack communities at will, killing and kidnapping residents. Over a thousand people are believed to have been killed by such groups this year.
Their activities have continued despite the heavy deployment of security operatives to the area.