(DDM) – Safana Local Government Area in Katsina State has entered into a controversial peace agreement with armed bandits, aiming to allow farmers safe access to farmlands during the ongoing farming season.
DDM gathered that the accord makes Safana the fourth LGA in the state to broker such an arrangement, joining Jibia, Batsari, and Danmusa in striking localized truces with armed groups.
Before this development, only those three LGAs had reached agreements, enabling farmers to return to their lands without fear, while bandits reportedly moved freely to markets, hospitals, and shops within surrounding towns and villages.
Other frontline LGAs, including Kankara, Faskari, Dutsinma, Sabuwa, Malumfashi, Kurfi, Bakori, Funtua, and Dandume, remain without such agreements and continue to suffer killings, kidnappings, and repeated armed attacks.
The Safana peace talks were held at the fringes of Gemi Forest in Runka town, with LGA Chairman Abdullahi Sani Safana, Yariman Katsina and Head of Safana Alhaji Sada Rufa’i, and District Head of Zakkah Alhaji Sani Muhammed Zakka leading the local delegation.
The meeting drew community members, traditional leaders, and armed bandits to the same negotiation table.
Both sides reportedly agreed to reconcile differences, build trust, and maintain peace for the sake of farmers and herders.
Alhaji Sada Rufa’i expressed optimism over the reconciliation, urging bandit leaders to “fear God, live peacefully, and honour the truce.”
Representing the bandits, Kachalla Ruga Alhaji Usman said the agreement was intended to ensure free movement and secure access to farmland for all residents.
The LGA chairman pledged to safeguard the dignity of all parties, assess the state of schools and hospitals serving Fulani herdsmen, and guarantee unhindered access to markets and basic services.
The peace deal reportedly contains 20 terms, including a complete cessation of criminal activities, respect for farmlands, and non-harassment of herders when they visit towns.
Similar deals in other LGAs have included arms surrender and the release of kidnapped victims.
In Danmusa, for instance, bandits handed over weapons and freed 16 captives, including a pregnant woman.
The Katsina State government insists it does not negotiate with bandits, describing such accords as entirely community-led initiatives.
Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Nasir Mu’azu reiterated that while the government would not initiate negotiations, it would reintegrate any armed groups that voluntarily dropped weapons.
He warned that any breach of the agreement would trigger a decisive military and security response.
Critics have argued that such peace deals risk legitimizing armed groups, while supporters say they provide immediate relief to embattled farming communities facing economic ruin and food shortages.