Banditry: Sani Geza, a 70-year-old bandit kingpin, praises the peace agreement [Video]

A peace deal between armed groups and community leaders in Katsina State’s Matazu Local Government Area has excited 70-year-old bandit kingpin Sani Geza. Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency specialist, posted about the incident on X on Monday.

Following the dialogue session on Sunday, Geza gave a speech in which he called the peace agreement a long-overdue chance for his group to return to normal life.

We have been looking for this for a very long time. God has fulfilled the dream today. We hope that this peace will last and not be squandered,” he stated.

Geza, who is considered to be among the state’s oldest armed group leaders, told Makama that many of his supporters had also longed for peace and relief after years of fighting.

The agreement, according to local officials at the meeting, was a component of ongoing efforts to use community involvement, dialogue, and confidence-building to bring peace back to Katsina State’s troubled areas.

By combining military operations with peace-building initiatives in impacted areas, the Katsina government and security agencies have stepped up their efforts in recent months to stop kidnapping and banditry.