Katsina is one of several states in northwestern and central Nigeria terrorised by criminal gangs that the locals refer to as bandits.

The gangs raid villages, kill and abduct residents as well as torch homes after looting them.

The gangs maintain camps in a huge forest straddling Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna states in the northwest region and Niger state in the country's central zone and have carried out mass kidnappings of students from schools in recent years.

On Saturday, a dozen bandit kingpins met with local officials and community leaders in the town of Danmusa, where they renounced violence and pledged to turn a new leaf, Nasiru Mu'azu, Katsina state internal commissioner said.

"There was a peace meeting between 12 bandit leaders and the local community leaders in Danmusa where the bandits renounced their criminal activities and committed to peace," Mu'azu said.

The bandits initiated the meeting, he said. "The community welcomed the overtures and agreed to a peace deal as long as the bandits are genuinely interested in peace," he said.

As a mark of goodwill, the bandits surrendered weapons and released 17 hostages, with the promise to free more people they were holding.

Authorities in Katsina had earlier ruled out peace deals after the criminal gangs reneged on peace negotiations and returned to crime.

With no ideological leaning, the bandits are motivated by financial gains but their increasing alliance with jihadists from the northeast has been raising concern among authorities and security analysts.

In 2023, Katsina state governor Dikko Umar Radda established Katsina Community Watch Corps, comprising around 2,000 vigilantes to assist the military and police in fighting the bandits.

"We have been fighting the bandits for the past two years and the state governor has reiterated he will not negotiate from a position of weakness," Mu'azu said.

"But since they on their own came forward and extended the olive branch, we have to give them that opportunity."

In November last year, neighbouring Kaduna state, which has rejected negotiation with bandits, signed a peace accord with the criminal gangs terrorising Birnin-Gwari district.