Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina says bandits and other criminal elements are fast losing grounds in the State following the decision by most communities to defend themselves against attacks.
According to him, the development has made many communities in the state to become inaccessible to the bandits as the locals are now up in arms to protect and secure themselves.
Governor Radda, who disclosed the present state of affairs in a BBC Hausa Service interview, said his administration’s efforts at training locals to defend themselves against bandits’ attacks before intervention comes from the security operatives is paying off with the criminal elements unable to access many communities as was the case previously.
Further amplifying his argument that the number of security operatives is inadequate to tackle insecurity in the country, the Governor said the need for people to defend themselves and support efforts by the conventional security agencies cannot be overemphasized.
Offering an explanation on his decision to train the locals, Governor Radda said; “We are not saying people should take weapons…no, what we are saying is that the security operatives we have in Nigeria are inadequate, and cannot defend all the citizens.
“What we are calling on people to do is to give us their youth so that we will train them and give them something they can start using to defend themselves before any intervention from the security operatives.
“And this initiative has started paying off, because there are many communities now that are not accessible by these people (bandits), and this is as a result of the measures taken by the locals.
“It is unfortunate how three or four boys (bandits) with a gun or two could wreak havoc in a community of say 500 or 1,000 or 2,000 people.”
He said the need for people to protect themselves against bandits does not necessarily means government’s failure at addressing insecurity in the state, but a viable security option because truth be told, available security forces in the country could not protect and secure all citizens.
For him; “This is what we have been saying for long. The security operatives in Nigeria are not enough to provide the needed security to all people.
“This is the reason why we established ‘Katsina Community Watch’ after I assumed office. We recruited youth, trained them and handed over operational equipment to them so that they can complement the efforts of the security agencies.”
However, reacting to claims of extrajudicial operations by some local security outfits, Governor Radda said there are laws guiding their operations, adding; “We have laws which guide their operations. So all their operations are guided by laws. But where there are reports of any extrajudicial operation, we make sure it is investigated.”
“Now as we speak, there is a case of one of them who is going to be charged to court over some offence. In this fight, you are fighting bandit and he is fighting back”, he said.
