On Saturday, September 20, 2025, notorious bandit leader Kachalla Ummaru warned security forces that a kinetic approach to insecurity in Katsina State would backfire, stating, “If you kill 10 of us today, 20 more will emerge tomorrow,” during peace talks in Matazu Local Government Area, as reported by Vanguard and Daily Trust (Web:0, Web:1). The remarks, captured in a video by counter-insurgency analyst Zagazola Makama, came amid efforts to broker accords between bandit groups and communities (Web:0, Web:2). Ummaru accused the government of prioritizing revenue over citizen welfare and criticized residents for providing intelligence to security forces, urging mutual respect in negotiations (Web:0).
The Matazu talks coincided with peace pacts in Sabuwa and Dandume LGAs, bringing the total to nine LGAs—Batsari, Kankara, Kurfi, Musawa, Danmusa, Jibia, Faskari, Sabuwa, and Dandume—signing agreements to end killings, kidnappings, and cattle rustling (Web:1, Web:3). In Kabalawa Dungun-Muazu, council chairmen Engr. Sagir Tanimu (Sabuwa) and Bashir Sabi’u Gyazama (Dandume) secured commitments from bandits to release abductees and halt attacks, in exchange for reopening the Dandume cattle market and ending vigilante reprisals (Web:1). X posts from @ZagazolaMakama (September 20, 2025) highlighted the talks, while @Naija_Activist noted 74% public skepticism about their sustainability, citing 1,200 abductions in Katsina in 2025 (ACLED, 2025) (Post:3). The initiatives aim to reduce violence, with 8,000 deaths in the North since 2020 (Web:4).
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