Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has challenged the people to defend themselves against the criminal activities of bandits and terrorists if they want to enjoy peace and serenity across the State.
According to him, the State government is willing and ready to support people and also assist security agents in protecting communities against attacks by bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements.
However, Governor Radda noted that bandits cannot operate freely and successfully without the connivance of some persons within the society.
The Governor spoke at a town hall meeting held in Daura at the weekend with the theme; “Public Engagement: 2025 Citizens’ Budget Participation Process”.
Governor Radda said it is most appalling and condemnable a situation where even community leaders connive with bandits to attack members of their communities for mere monetary gains.
Specifically he mentioned that; “There was a representative of the Village Head who collected N700,000 from bandits and allowed them to enter his area and killed about 30 people.
“There were women arrested, and a teacher serving as their informant, in fact, almost all the segments of people are involved in this act.”
However, Governor Radda to address the disturbing situation; “We have come up with an initiative that for any community ready to defend itself, we will give them necessary support and training to engage criminals before the arrival of the security agents.
“I went to a village, Tsamiyar-jino, where it took me two hours inside a jeep before I reached the village from the main road. So, if bandits attack such areas, from the time you inform the security, it will take them over two hours before they can respond to the distress call. By then, whatever is going to happen would have happened. They would have killed people and kidnapped others.
“I have said several times that the security agents cannot do this work alone. We don’t even have enough of them. I am surprised at the way we are dying in such a humiliating manner. We were told that anyone who died in defence of his family would enter paradise.
“You see five criminals attacking a community of 2,000 to 3,000 people, rape daughters, women and abducting others without any confrontation from the people of that community. If there are 100 youths in the community who confront them, they will not shoot more than three times without being captured with bare hands.
“Paying ransom doesn’t even prevent a hostage from being killed by abductors. Sometimes they collect the money and kill the victim.”
He said part of measures already put in place by his administration is the creation of a Community Security Watch Corps to protect residents, adding; “We trained them and attached them with the police and the army to work in synergy after providing them rifles, bulletproof vests, umbrellas, three sets of uniforms and shoes, among others”.
Governor Radda also disclosed that equipment that include 700 motorcycles, 65 Hilux cars and 10 armoured personnel carriers (APC) have been donated to the security agencies to aid their operations as well as ensure the safety of lives and property across the State.
Further highlighting the efforts of government in partnering with the security agencies, he said; “We pay N3 million for fuelling and maintenance of those vehicles to front-line local governments, and N1.5 million for vulnerable local governments and N750,000 for the remaining LGAs.
“We also purchased surveillance gadgets that you cannot find anywhere in the country. Our own is 5G and not the normal 3G.”
By despite all the efforts and measures, Katsina unfortunately is among the North-West states currently ravaged by the deadly activities of bandits and terrorists who daily wreak havocs on various communities while subjecting residents to untold hardship and even untimely deaths.
