A wanted bandits kingpin operating in Katsina and Zamfara States, known as Ado Aleru, last week, attended an open peace meeting in Dan-Musa Local Government Area of the State last week.
The development ignited widespread outrage and concern amongst citizens of the state who were at a loss at how the same bandit leader who was declared wanted by security agencies could walk freely and attend a meeting where security personnel were present.
Checks however indicated that the meeting was convened to explore ways of ending hostilities between Fulani herders and farming communities in the area.
The wanted Aleru was one of the key figures that addressed stakeholders at the where he outlined measures to promote peaceful coexistence in the region.
Aleru, who was linked to some deadly attacks in both Katsina and Zamfara States, had gone into hiding as military operations intensified in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara.
But, in January, 2025, it was gathered that the bandit kingpin retreated to Asaula village to evade the strategic ambushes by security forces targeting his network.
Aleru’s surprise appearance at the peace meeting therefore raised serious questions about the sincerity and effectiveness of peace-building efforts in bandit-ravaged communities.
A concerned resident , Yahaya Abdulrahman questioned the rationale of having Aleru attend the peace meeting, saying that the erode the trust of the people in the fight against banditry in the area.
He said; “How are we sure he is not doing this to buy himself time, evade justice, and return stronger afterwards? This doesn’t make sense at all”.
Most of the locals were apprehensive of the involvement of a wanted person and a high security risk in a peace dialogue of such a nature which they said might undermine ongoing counterinsurgency efforts as well as embolden other criminal elements.
…Sourced from Daily Post.
