The Katsina Massacre and the Limits of Vigilante Groups in Counter-Insurgency

Earlier this month, in the Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State, robbers brutally slaughtered over 102 members of the vigilante group. As of today, the official dead toll stands at 41. But, locals in the neighbourhoods where these atrocities were perpetrated know the truth. They buried their dead and said the number is more than 102 since many of the victims were slain in parts of the forest that were inaccessible.

Neither the state nor the federal governments, nor the majority of Nigerians, have shown any concern about this catastrophe. Everyone here seems desensitised to death and tragedy since it is just part of daily life. It is clear that the authorities are at their wits’ end because both the federal government, through President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman, paid tribute to the victims as martyrs and prayed for the repose of their souls, and the state government, through its decision to form a panel to investigate the immediate and underlying causes of the carnage. Considering the coordinated responses of other countries’ security services and political leaders after a single death under identical circumstances, it’s clear that these are grave mistakes. No one who does wrong escapes consequences.

The fact-finding commission established by the purported administration of Katsina State is a waste of time and money. With absolute certainty, it will not provide any information that is not already common knowledge or available elsewhere with regards to banditry and unsuccessful counter-terrorism tactics over the whole North-West. Katsina State’s governor, Aminu Bello Masari, made the shocking revelation in July 2017 that a local government area with 100 communities had just 30 policemen with only 10 firearms. Yet, both the state and federal governments’ counter-strategic reactions have been, at best, knee-jerk and bizarre, giving the criminals more fuel to continue their attacks on helpless civilians.

The criminals had already raided the Kandarawa village earlier this month, according to the details of the incident, and stolen 80 animals from the home of a businessman. The thieves’ theft of 50 cows and 30 lambs from nearby towns infuriated the local vigilance organisation, Yan Sakai. A handful of them retaliated with Danish firearms, but that was all that was done. A futile pursuit of terrorists equipped with AK-47s and other high-tech weaponry. In the face of growing insecurity and the catastrophic inability of the Nigerian state to safeguard its citizens’ lives and property, these villagers have unfortunately been hardwired with the urge to fight the robbers.

Bashir Magashi, the country’s defence minister, started the ball moving in February 2021 when he urged residents to fight back against terrorists using just their bare hands. Notwithstanding the fact that the Exclusive legislative list of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, makes it clear that the provision of security is a federal duty, he apparently had no problem with giving such advise. And enamoured of such empty pleadings, in December of same year Governor Masari encouraged inhabitants of his state to protect themselves, lamenting the number of police officers at work in his area. What the public needs to know is that there are not, in fact, as many as three thousand police officers in Katsina. Everyone who cares about his or her own safety should, therefore, equip themselves. He assured them that the government would back them up in their endeavour. Only Masari knows the full extent to which such a corrupt policy was enacted and was helpful.

The peace treaty his government signed with bandits in August 2019 was a bad idea, and Masari knew it. It called for the bandits to disarm and depart the North-West region. Where exactly are you planning on moving to? Wow, this is fantastic! The criminals in question did not live up to their end of the bargain. When seen through the lens of a counterinsurgency strategy, the agreement comes across as foolish. No responsible government would negotiate with a criminal gang that has been kidnapping, extorting, murdering, maiming, and raping innocent people, including women and children, for years. It would have been better to squash them or put them through legal due process. A peasant who saw the recent massacres in Katsina lamented that the scale of the atrocities may have been reduced if his relatives had access to firearms. He said, “In the name of peace, the police and administration have taken away our firearms.” The obvious lack of solace that self-help provides after a security compromise of this magnitude should come as no surprise.

Large swaths of uncontrolled territory separate the state’s far-flung towns. The numbers speak for themselves: as of the 2006 census, its population was 5,792,578 and its land area was 23,938 square kilometres. Moreover, there are 34 local government councils. Less than 3000 police officers, most of whom are tied to highly powerful persons and corporate groups, cannot give even minimal protection to the villagers. This is the lynchpin that the state and others have been avoiding up until now. Demands from governors for state police, made via state legislatures, almost derailed the final stages of the 1999 Constitution’s fourth amendment process.

Citizens’ lives are in jeopardy not only in Katsina State but all throughout Nigeria as a result of rising national insecurity and the obvious failures of centralised police. There is a growing need for a system of tiered policing similar to that used in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other federations. The available data suggests that these assaults take place in areas with lax security. This was validated by a 2018 investigation by Amnesty International Nigeria. Local communities in Zurmi, Maradun, Maru, Anka, and Tsafe were visited by Amnesty International, the report said. Researchers noticed military and air force personnel in just two of the villages they visited (Birane and Bagega), despite their presence in the state capital Gusau.

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Once again, ranching’s prevalence in today’s economy is a certain way to reduce the bloodshed caused by cattle rustling. Katsina State has seen so much destruction during Masari’s eight years in office that he should give a new strategy on modern husbandry significant consideration. He may provide the groundwork for his predecessor to expand upon.

Governments at all levels should cease challenging vigilantes to face down dangerous terrorists armed to the teeth with nothing but their bare fists. This is a catastrophic failure of leadership. If lawbreakers are not punished, violent crimes like banditry and abduction will thrive. Masari’s state is one among many that has implemented the death penalty for this kind of crime. It remains to be seen how many have been brought to justice, convicted, and severely punished in accordance with this statute. As the Nigerian government recklessly illustrates, a state does not require forever to trial and convict terror suspects.

As the nation’s senior security officer, President Buhari is fully aware that the buck stops on his table, especially in light of the fact that his home state of Katsina is bleeding, his convoy was assaulted last year, and that 344 pupils of Kankara Secondary School were previously kidnapped. As he wraps up his presidency, the general consensus is that he has completely failed in this area.