A viral video circulating on social media has captured a scathing rebuke from a Northern leader directed at Bola Tinubu’s administration over the persistent insecurity plaguing Katsina State and much of Nigeria’s North West.
In the clip, the unidentified elder, speaking passionately—believed to be in Hausa—declares:
“Mr. President, anybody who tells you there is peace and security in this country, ask that person to bring his mother to Katsina.”
The statement, a blunt and emotionally charged challenge, implies that claims of improved national security ring hollow when residents of Katsina face daily threats of bandit raids, kidnappings, killings, and abductions.
The phrase has resonated widely online, with users sharing the video under captions highlighting frustration with federal responses to the banditry crisis.
The footage, first amplified by accounts including @General_Somto
and @GeneralSnow_ on January 12, 2026, quickly gained traction, racking up hundreds of likes, reposts, and views within hours.
Many commenters described it as a rare, unfiltered expression of grassroots anger from the region hardest hit by non-state armed groups.
Katsina State has remained one of the epicenters of Nigeria’s long-running bandit conflict.
Recent weeks have seen a troubling resurgence of violence despite various state-level peace initiatives.
Between late December 2025 and early January 2026 alone, reports indicate at least 80 people killed and over 40 abducted in fresh attacks across parts of the state.
The Katsina State Government has defended controversial steps, including plans to facilitate the release of around 70 suspected bandits currently facing trial.
Officials argue the measure—rooted in Section 371(2) of the state’s Administration of Criminal Justice Law—aims to consolidate existing peace accords signed with groups in at least 15–18 local government areas.
They claim such deals have already secured the freedom of roughly 1,000 previously kidnapped victims and mirror tactics used in conflict resolution worldwide.
Critics, including security analysts, have condemned the approach as risky and lacking credibility, warning that releasing suspects could embolden criminal networks rather than curb them.
Public protests, highway blockades by affected communities, and recurring ambushes on vigilante groups and civilians underscore deep skepticism toward both state and federal strategies.
The viral clip arrives amid broader disillusionment with governance on security matters.
Amnesty International’s earlier documentation (covering May 2023–May 2025) verified hundreds of killings and abductions in Katsina and neighboring states, contributing to over 10,000 deaths linked to armed group violence across several regions during that period.
Military operations, airstrikes, and the elimination of notable bandit commanders have occurred, yet residents and local voices continue to report that safety remains elusive.
Online reactions to the video reflect regional and national divides: some praise the speaker for “speaking truth to power,” others mock official optimism, while a few express weary resignation.
The challenge—“bring his mother to Katsina”—has become a shorthand meme encapsulating distrust in assurances of stability.
As insecurity persists in Nigeria’s North West, episodes like this highlight the growing disconnect between Abuja’s narratives and the lived realities of communities bearing the brunt of the crisis.
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Whether the clip sparks renewed policy debate or fades as another viral moment remains to be seen, but for many in Katsina, the message is unmistakable: peace cannot be declared from afar.
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