Uba Sani: I didn’t give bandits money… I built houses for victims of banditry

Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, has denied allegations that he gave money to bandits, saying instead that his administration has built houses for victims of banditry in the state.

The governor spoke on Thursday in an interview on Prime Time, an Arise Television programme.

Sani recalled that when he assumed office as the governor, critics accused him of trying to pay bandits to solve the insecurity challenge in the state.

“I told them that a man who fought for justice and freedom of the downtrodden cannot sit down with bandits,” he said.

The governor said just two weeks ago, he launched a programme to provide houses for victims of insurgency, rather than compensating bandits.

“I have not given one naira to the bandits, but I have built houses for the victims of banditry in Kaduna,” he added.

Sani noted that such initiatives must be community-driven for them to succeed.

“As a governor you cannot champion that; it must be a community-based initiative. They must own it,” he said.

Sani said the state has not experienced any farmer-herder conflicts recently due to an inclusive approach introduced by his administration, which, according to him, embraces all communities.

“Today in Kaduna, we have not had a single farmer-herder crisis. We solve this through inclusivity. You need to include everyone. President Tinubu didn’t need to come to the north to tell you how to run your state,” he said.