Nigeria, Aug. 21 -- On Tuesday, the usually staid proceedings of the Katsina State House of Assembly were pierced by raw emotion as the Chief Whip, Ibrahim Dikko, fought back tears while describing killings by bandits in his constituency, which covers the Matazu Local Government Area.

"Out of the 10 wards, eight are under siege," he told his colleague lawmakers. "Farmers cannot go to farms. Just yesterday, near the secondary school, they killed a young man and rustled four oxen used for ploughing."

His voice broke as he added, "Yesterday, they killed five farmers. The day before, they killed seven. Wallahi, the farms are inaccessible anymore. Mr Speaker, we are in dire need of help."

For a moment, the chamber fell silent. Lawmakers, ma...