President Bola Tinubu said his administration is committed to reclaiming ungoverned areas, particularly forests, in the North-West region and across Nigeria, deploying advanced surveillance and technology to combat kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism.
In an issued statement yesterday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu made the pledge during a State dinner with Katsina elders and leaders at the Government House on Friday night. He said: “We will invest more in technology and take over the forests”.
Responding to concerns raised by former Governor Aminu Bello Masari, Tinubu acknowledged that insecurity remains a national challenge.
Nigeria’s North-West region has seen a hail of terror activities in the past decade. A UNIDIR survey of 2,947 residents found that bandit attacks jumped 731 per cent between 2018 and 2022, leaving 8,300 people dead and 9,527 abducted between 2019 and Q1 2024 – 62 % of all kidnappings nationwide.
In Katsina, RouteWatch’s Security Risk Index recorded 277 attacks and 684 fatalities in June 2024 alone, and a twin assault on Layin Gara and Maikuma villages on April 8, 2025, killed six residents and dragged 59 hostages into the bush.
Those raids are launched from the 220‑km‑long Rugu Forest, where security officials say over 100 armed camps sprawl across Sabuwa, Faskari, Dandume, Safana, Batsari, Ɗanmusa and Jibia LGAs, giving gunmen a maze of caves and thickets in which to regroup whenever the armed forces strike.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)’ capital‑importation data shows that Katsina drew zero foreign direct investment in the first nine months of 2024, placing it among 34 states that received no new capital, while neighbouring Kaduna was the North’s lone recipient. Tallies show two factory closures in Katsina between 2020 and 2024, part of a wider exodus of 102 plants nationwide blamed on insecurity and rising operating costs.
“On the issue of security raised by former governor Aminu Masari again this evening, yes, I agree that security is a challenge for the country. I addressed the men and women of the Armed Forces earlier today and assured them that we will do everything to fight terrorism and banditry”.
The President highlighted encouraging signs of Nigeria’s economic recovery, attributing recent positive growth indicators to bold policy decisions. He said the Federal Government will consider upgrading the airport in Katsina State to create jobs and expand the economy.
Tinubu also promised that victims of terrorism will receive support to pick up their lives. He thanked former Katsina governor, Aminu Masari, for his role in ensuring that he got the endorsement of the North-West and emerged as the APC presidential candidate.
The President also thanked the governors who honoured the invitation of the Katsina State Governor, Dr. Dikko Raɗɗa, for the commissioning of projects and his daughter’s wedding. The governors were those of Kaduna, Jigawa, Borno, Benue, Yobe, Sokoto, and Kwara States.
He acknowledged the leadership roles of Katsina indigenes in the country and described President Muhammadu Buhari as a man of integrity, who contributed significantly to Nigeria’s development. “I wish him well”, he stated.
In his remarks, Governor Raɗɗa said the State had established a security outfit that gathers and supplies intelligence. He projected that the proposed airport expansion, including the cargo terminal, customer terminal, and fire truck, would create 2,700 direct jobs and cost N54bn.
Meanwhile, Masari thanked the President for appointing two ministers from the state to the Federal Executive Council. He also thanked the President for appointing Kaduna indigenes as Special Advisers, Chairmen of Boards and Heads of regulatory agencies such as the Nigerian Communications Commission and Transmission Company of Nigeria, (TCN).
Masari said the insecurity in the North-West must be tackled holistically from the bottom up.
