Governor Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina State has disclosed that bandits operating in the region often receive classified security information shortly after government meetings, attributing the breaches to moles embedded within communities and security circles.
Bandits Receive Leaked Information
Speaking during an interview on the worsening insecurity in the state, the governor revealed that a notorious bandit leader knew the details of a high-level security meeting just minutes after it concluded. He accused some community members of aiding criminals by providing them with sensitive intelligence, which has made security operations more challenging.
“But the problem we have is the community,” Radda said. “The communities are not giving the right information. Some of them are helping him.”
Moles Within the System
The governor lamented that despite government efforts to strengthen security, intelligence leaks continue to undermine attempts to track and eliminate criminal groups. He recounted an incident where he convened a high-level security meeting at the Government House, only for the bandit leader to become aware of the discussions almost immediately.
“Five minutes after the meeting, he knows what we have discussed,” Radda stated. “There are moles who are giving them information among us.”
He explained that the problem extends beyond local communities, alleging that informants exist within several layers of society, including among security operatives. Bandits now rely heavily on insiders to monitor troop movements and security operations. Whenever security personnel mobilize to respond to attacks, informants within villages quickly alert the criminals about the routes being taken, allowing them to prepare ambushes.
“Once the security move to the area, his moles among the communities will call him and tell him that the security have followed this road,” Radda said. “So they will lay ambush for the security.”
New Tactics by Bandits
Radda also revealed that some bandit leaders have adopted new tactics aimed at manipulating public opinion against the government. He claimed that certain criminals now enter villages to publicly criticize the government and pressure residents into demanding that security forces stop pursuing them.
The governor described the situation as extremely difficult, insisting that the level of information available to the criminals suggests they receive insider support. “Who is that boy to have been doing all these things for us? If he doesn’t have information more than us?” he asked.
Katsina remains one of the states most affected by banditry and armed attacks in Nigeria’s North-West region, with communities frequently facing kidnappings, killings, and attacks on villages despite ongoing military operations.
