Agaju Madugba, Katsina

Enraged by endless attacks and abduction by bandits, residents of Yantumaki, Dan-Musa Local Government Area of Katsina State, yesterday, took to the streets. 

They were said to have been enraged by the kidnap of one Mansir Yusuf and his daughter by bandits in the early hours of yesterday. The victims were neighbours of the late District Head of Yantumaki, Alhaji Abu Atiku, who was killed by bandits who attacked his residence on May 31.

The aggrieved residents made bonfires on the streets and chanted anti-government slogans disrupting vehicular and human traffic for several hours, especially along the Katsina/Kankara major highway, where they blocked the road leading to the town.

Also, the billboard bearing the picture of President Muhammadu Buhari and logo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were torched.

Police Public Relations Officer for the Katsina State Police Command, Gambo Isah, confirmed the report saying “the Commissioner of Police has detailed the Area Commander at Dutsinma to relocate to Yantumaki as more senior officers are being  deployed to the area to take care of the situation.”

He said a detachment of police was  on ground controlling the situation to ensure that the protesters do not take the law into their hands or miscreants taking over the situation to loot or burn property.

“The Command and indeed other security agencies are not leaving any stone unturned to ensure those responsible for the two recent crimes are brought to book,” Isah said.

This development is coming a week after Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina announced that his administration had pulled out of the peace deal with bandits.

The state government had entered a peace agreement to halt the kidnappings and killings, but regretted that despite the deal, communities in Katsina were still being attacked and residents killed.