Nigeria, June 12 -- Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has renewed an offer of dialogue and rehabilitation to bandits willing to renounce violence, urging those operating in forests across the North-west to lay down their arms and return to their communities.

The governor spoke on Thursday during the inauguration of 152 housing units and other development projects constructed for internally displaced persons (IDPs) through a partnership involving the Katsina State Government, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the German government and other development partners.

Mr Radda said the state remained committed to pursuing peace-building efforts alongside ongoing security operations, stressing that opportunities for repentanc...