Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has given an insight into how cattle rustling snowballed into the current spate of kidnapping and banditry in the North-West Zone of the country.
The governor who spoke in Katsina, attributed part of the security challenges the region is facing to lack of education as well as influx of criminals from some North African countries. Masari, who said there were ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity in the state, lamented that the current situation had prevented farmers from accessing their farmlands.
“Unfortunately, what we met as cattle rustling has turned into banditry and insurgency which are depriving people, especially those living in the border area of the forests which are very fertile, from access to their farms, drastically affecting their source of livelihood,” he said.
“They have lost their ploughing cattle which they used to plough the land. This has caused another challenge to our ‘Restoration Agenda’ in Katsina, but we thank God that we can continue.”
Masari revealed that the seven governors from the North West Zone have been meeting to work out modalities on how to end the insurgency, part of which is the ongoing training of about 500 vigilant groups’ members to be followed by another 3,000 soon. “We have a committee under the North West Zone because of our linkage in terms of boundary. We are strategizing on how to deal with the situation. And as I talk to you now, we have 500 vigilantes undergoing training and we intend to take another 3,000,” he said.
“All of us are doing that at various levels and we have a committee where my Special Assistant on Security is representing me. We have the governor of Niger as the chairman.”