The Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, is asking the Nigerian Army to intensify efforts in the ongoing fight against Banditry, a security threat currently ravaging the Northwestern part of the country.
The governor who made the appeal on Monday during his assessment visit to the newly established ‘Special Army Super Camp 4’ located in Faskari.
The governor expressed displeasure over the increase rate of banditry, he said the state government has formed a committee with a view to recreating the village security council across 361 wards of 34 LGAs of the state.
The Village Security Council is aimed at sustaining the ongoing operations of the military as well as a cascade down to remote and smaller areas in order to detect those to be held responsible for any wrongdoing.
The governor while assessing the level of progress made so far with the commencement of the ongoing ‘Exercise Sahel Sanity’ believed that considerable progress has been made in dealing, eliminating, and neutralizing the bandits.
But discovered that a lot needs to be done in order to make sure that the bandits are completely flushed out.
“It’s not about addressing the problem in Katsina alone. If you address the problem of Katsina without addressing that of Zamfara, Sokoto and Kaduna including the neighboring Niger states, so you have not done anything. This Sahel Operation has to be complete in order for it to be durable and sustainable”.
“That is why we have come in to make sure that we support sustainability and peace by putting measures on the ground that will check the spread of banditry because failure to do that, we don’t know what will be next.
“If you could remember in 2015, we were talking about cattle rustling somewhere along the line it was kidnapping then came banditry followed by rape, 20 years ago it was armed robbery so the criminality also keeps on changing with time, and you know our area here we share borders with the Niger Republic. Over 1400 kilometers, we share borders with the Benin Republic. So ours is also internally and controlling what comes into the country.
“I believe the operation as we were shown is going all over these states including Niger state. So I think if it continues will be able to cripple and neutralise the bandits to a certain level that will no longer pose a threat to the country”. Masari added.
On June 5, 2020, about 50 people were killed in an attack by bandits in Faskari Local Government Area of the state, a month later over 40 people were killed in Batsari Local Government Area, the governor said that the fight against insurgency is not yet over in the state.
“Today we thank Almighty Allah and the efforts of the Nigerian Army and that of Airforce for restoring some level of normalcy in the lives of our people. However, the fight against Bandits and Banditry is not yet over we believe that more still needs to be done”. He observed.
The Nigerian Army flagged off ‘Exercise Sahel Sanity’ on July 6 to mitigate the current spate of banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling and other related crimes bedeviling Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna and Niger states.
Launched in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, the exercise which is aimed at restoring peace in the regions is expected to metamorphose into real-time operation.
Speaking during the official flag-off of the ceremony, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai announced that the exercise is carefully designed to plush out armed bandits, terrorist groups and other criminal elements hibernating in the forests of Dumburum, Gando, Subobo and Kagara in Katsina, Zamfara, and parts of Sokoto states.
The exercise which is one of the activities lined up to commemorate Nigerian Army Day 2020 was scheduled to run up to September 6th, 2020 and is the Nigerian Army’s response to the escalating security challenges affecting some parts of the Northwest and Northcentral geopolitical zones.
According to Buratai, the spate of armed banditry, kidnappings, cattle rustling and other related crimes have in the last two months continued unabated particularly in Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, and Niger states.
He informed the gathering that most of the farmers have since returned to their farms and their farming activities have commenced.
“A good number of equipment, platforms, and necessary logistics support have been made available for the exercise”. Buratai noted.
