Nigeria, April 15 -- Ten days after a journalist and civic accountability officer was brutally attacked in Katsina, Governor Dikko Radda has announced a sweeping crackdown on gangs blamed for rising urban violence in the state.

The governor on Tuesday signed an executive order banning the activities of "Kauraye", "Sarasuka" and other miscreant groups, while also constituting a multi-agency task force and approving special mobile courts to fast-track prosecutions under the Miscreant Activities (Suppression) Order, 2026.

The move follows a wave of violent incidents across Katsina metropolis, including the April 4 attack on Mustapha Sadiq, publisher of Katsina Post and BudgIT's state budget-tracking officer, raising questions about whether...