Politics
People should defend themselves against bandits– Gov Masari
The Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, has called on residents of the state to defend themselves against bandits as the criminals are not spirits.
Masari who spoke at the inauguration of the Katsina Joint Security Operations and Communication Control Centre at the state police command headquarters on Saturday, said it was quite ridiculous that people are not defending themselves against bandit attacks.
He added that residents of the state cannot simply rely on security agencies alone to solve the problem of insecurity in their locations and should organize themselves to repel the bandits whenever they attack.
“Security is our responsibility. Why are we surrendering our responsibility to some people? I can’t see how more committed a police or military officer can be than any of you,” the Governor said.
“Why should I sit in my village and be only making telephone calls without doing anything?
READ ALSO: MURIC wants ‘no mercy’ for bandits
“Every bandit, every criminal has an address, has a location, and they’re human beings like us. The only difference is that they’ve taken arms against us; does it mean we’ve nothing to take against them?
“Do we mean we should vacate all our villages, all our farms, all our houses, and surrender them to bandits, and wait for police officer Emeka all the way from Enugu to come to Katsina and rescue me? This is ridiculous. Why?
“I think part of what this Katsina initiative needs to do is to go round all these local governments, let us talk to the people, and defend yourselves,” he added.
By Isaac Dachen
Join the conversation
Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism
Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.
As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.
If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.
Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.
INVESTIGATION: In Kwara, multimillion-naira milk processing plant is abandoned, converted to a chicken outlet
After the government spent millions of naira to establish a milk processing plant in Kwara State that would provided jobs...
SPECIAL REPORT: For Sokoto communities, promise of healthcare is akin to death sentence
In this story, ABDULRASHEED HAMMAD delves into the dire realities of Primary Health Care services in Sokoto State, shedding light...
ICYMI…SPECIAL REPORT: NNPCL hides behind PIA to frustrate disclosure, accountability
Nigeria’s major oil company, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in what appears to be a common practice of disregard...
INVESTIGATION: Multi-million naira Ekiti resort center remains uncompleted a decade after
The multimillion-naira project, expected to comprise recreational buildings, now consists of cassava farmland, a bush used for excretion, and a...
SPECIAL REPORT: Torturous experiences of students with disabilities in Oyo tertiary institutions
For students with disabilities in Oyo state-owned tertiary institutions, learning is a torturous and distressing experience, considering the building structures...