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A bandit, Balla Batsari, the second-in-command to Kachalla Lambo, has accused Nigerian politicians of failing to honour their promises, describing them as “congenital liars.”
Speaking in an exclusive interview with News Central TV, Batsari claimed that politicians’ failure to fulfil agreements is at the heart of the grievances bandits have against them.
“They just speak without following through with their promises. A politician will make promises right now, only to turn around the next moment and say they never said it,” Batsari said.
He insisted that, contrary to public perception, bandits honour their commitments.
“They are congenital liars. We made promises, but we kept them. They are the ones who are yet to fulfil theirs. They say, ‘Bandits are not enlightened, bandits have no education, bandits don’t keep to promises.’ They should tell us one promise we made which we never fulfilled.”
Banditry has remained a major security challenge across Katsina and much of northwestern Nigeria, where armed groups have carried out deadly attacks, mass kidnappings and cattle rustling for years.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) recorded more than 21,500 conflict-related fatalities and 8,600 security incidents across Nigeria between January 2024 and December 2025, with Katsina among the states worst affected.
Negotiations with bandits have become one of the most contentious aspects of Nigeria’s response to the crisis. Such talks are often initiated after mass abductions, with families, community leaders, traditional rulers and, in some cases, local officials relying on intermediaries to negotiate the release of hostages.
Although the Nigerian Government has consistently maintained that it does not negotiate with terrorists or pay ransoms, it has repeatedly faced allegations of engaging in negotiations with bandit groups during major kidnapping incidents.
