Smoking the peace pipe in Katsina

In Katsina State, life is gradually returning to the village square. The sound of drums is now commonplace, with young men and women taking over the village square, discussing marriage plans or partaking in festivities. Marriages and births are now, once more, being celebrated with pomp and pageantry. Commerce is getting back on track. Merchants and petty traders now travel in overcrowded buses and trucks, from one market to the next, to buy and sell their wares. Local musicians are always on hand, in the market square, beating drums and singing, thereby keeping the markets alive.

In Katsina State, agriculture is now receiving additional impetus for growth. Farmers are now free to work on their farms from sunrise till sunset. The era of fear and uncertainty is gone and gone for good. The smile is returning to the faces, and rural dwellers here are now more confident. Villagers in remote areas now attend Mosque for the early dawn prayers in congregation with their neighbours. They also feel secured to attend the late evening congregational prayers in the Masjid.  

What’s more, herdsmen and their animals are now free and will not be subject to harassment in the future.  Structures are being put in place that will clearly delineate boundaries and paths between animal routes and farmlands. The government of Katsina State, under Governor Aminu Bello Masari has signed a pact with repentant kidnappers and cattle rustlers, who have agreed to hand over all illegal weapons in their possession to the authorities. Kankara, a local council headquarters and one of the largest grains market in Nigeria, will serve as the venue for this historic milestone; the return of liberty for rural farmers, grain merchants, cattle herdsmen and travelers traversing the highways of Katsina State.

It has been a long, oftentimes frustrating and now gratifying journey. All parties to the series of meetings, including Katsina State Government officials, security services, officials of cattle breeders interest group, the Miyetti Allah and the now repentant kidnappers and cattle rustlers were stressed to their limits. But they all persevered and that has culminated into this handover of illegal weapons to the security services.

For several years Katsina State had been under siege. Kidnapping and cattle rustling were the order of the day. Ten local government areas, most of them dominantly farming communities, were “colonized” and subjected to direct influence of marauding and disgruntled herdsmen. With each passing year, the sphere of control enjoyed by this plundering herdsmen expanded. And so did their ruthlessness. The “Dajin Rugu”, an impenetrable and winding forest served as their main base and headquarters. 

One of the repentant kidnappers confessed that he was holed down in “Dajin Rugu” for about ten years. In his words, “I have not seen a tarred road for ten years until now that I have started attending this negotiations”. Another repentant cattle rustler and kidnapper confessed that it had not been easy living in the forest for a long time, an obvious indication that although cattle herders have an alternative lifestyle away from city life, they enjoythe interaction and mingling with urban dwellers.

Cattle rustling is an old practice among herdsmen. In the past, it was a way of showing off bravery and prowess. A young man or a group of young men at their prime would attack and ransack another family’s cattle stock and daringly cart them away. Often this was celebrated during festivities and names of the rustlers were documented in folklores.  With time cattle rustling was also employed to help families to beef up their depleting and dwindling stock.

What we are experiencing today is a double barrel kind of assault; kidnapping and cattle rustling. Cattle herders engaged in this abominable practice do it for money. And in some cases some of the perpetrators of this condemnable practice are disgruntled and frustrated herdsmen, who are protesting their neglect by the Nigerian system. Whatever be the case, this kind of kidnapping and cattle rustling became pervasive in some states of northern Nigeria. The direct consequence of this calamity is an all-encompassing insecurity in the rural areas of affected states. And as this state of insecurity turns endemic, agriculture and commerce are affected.

On ascending to the seat of governor, Aminu Bello Masari knew that unless this dangerous state of affairs was contained, and swiftly too, the boomeranging effect will be catastrophic. He knew that rural farmers, who are barred from their farms might fight back or when pushing turns to shove, abandon their villages for the cities. Talking about food insecurity for all. And overcrowded cities; leading to squalor, crime and a stretch of existing social amenities.

To get to the bottom of this time bomb, Governor Masari decided to use the carrot-and-stick tactic. He invited his colleagues from neighbouring states, who face the same challenge to form a common front in fighting the scourge. A massive man hunt for these anti-social elements was mounted by the army. After several months, hundreds of thousands of herds of cattle were recovered and returned to their owners. When Governor Masari was convinced that the powerhouse of these bandits had been depleted and subdued he then offered them the olive branch. Smoking the peace pipe, the leadership of Katsina State branch of cattle breeders, the Miyetti Allah followed the kidnappers into the dense “Dajin Rugu”. Reports say at the onset it was a tug of war. Subsequently reason prevailed. With time leading figures in government and the security services were talking to the kidnappers and rustlers.

Notorious kidnappers and cattle rustlers have now repented. They have returned all animals in their possession which were illegally acquired or stolen. What is more, they have vowed never to return to that ignoble practice. This is in addition to pledging to help the security services in containing future threat. The Katsina State Government on its own side is offering a blanket amnesty for all kidnappers and cattle thieves, who have repented, and returned illegally acquired arms. The government will also identify and delineate all cattle routes within its territory. Being a frontline state, directly facing devastation from desertification, water in the state is priceless, hence the government will also provide drinking water facility for herdsmen and their animals at designated points throughout the state.

Masari has already shown commitment and a political will to bring to a close this ugly chapter of kidnapping, cattle rustling and rural banditry. His government has committed money, time and personnel to actualize his dream of a peaceful and prosperous Katsina State. From now on, agriculture and commerce will once more take the centre stage in the development of the state. After all, before independence, all public schools, health centres, roads and infrastructural development of the former Daura and Katsina Provinces were executed with funds from agriculture and commerce.

Muhammad wrote in from Kaduna.