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By Suleiman Umaru
In spite of the fact that there have not been any recorded Bandits Group , now , terrorists attack in Katsina, home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Army General, in the recent time, Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, Secretary to the government appears to have told Idrisu Dauda Dabban, the Commissioner of Police , that it is not yet Eldorado in the state.
Inuwa has opened on the security situation in the state on Tuesday, February, 21, 2022, when Daban the newly posted Commissioner of Police in the state by Usman Alkali Baba, the Inspector General of Police.
Perhaps, to contain the activities of the Bandits who have made life unbearable for the people of, Batsari, Faskari and Kankara, Bakori and Funtua, Local government Areas, particular, may have informed why Inwa, the Secretary to the state government has sought for Presidential to save the situation from getting worse.
The Katsina state Secretary to the government, SSG, may have taken advantage of Dabban, the new CP, deployed to the state visit to his office, to the attention of the Nigerian President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces to deploy more troops and arm them with more sophisticated weapons to boost the anti-terrorism fight in the state as obtained in the north east states of Borno and Yobe.
SECurity experts believe that the resurgence of attack in the state may not be unconnected to its proximity to the forests of the neighbouring states of Zamfara, described as home of the Bandits, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger, home state of Ibrahim Babangida, a retired Army General and former military President, which are still under the siege of the Bandits.
The Secretary to the State government may have made the CP , to understand that notwithstanding the commitment of Aminu Masari, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and governor of the state in providing the necessary logistics support to the security agencies personnel prosecuting the anti-banditry war in order to win the battle and contain other heinous crimes in every part of the north west state, it should not be abandoned by the Federal government that may further expose the flashpoint Local government areas to attack.
Mohammed Bazoun, the President of neighboring West African country of Niger Republic had told Bello Matawalle, governor of Zamfara state last December, during the latter visit to him to discuss on the issues of insecurity in the north western geo-political region of Niger and the Niger Republic.
Bazoun, had told the Zamfara, state governor that ‘’ the armed banditry had spread to Nigeria through the Maradi region of the country which have large expanse of forests. The Niger President had said that the problem of armed banditry across the country is coming from Madawa and Bayan Dutsin regions. Ibrahim Dorsara, the Zamfara state Commissioner for Information, had painted a gory image of the worrisome security situation in the state when he said that there 100 Bandits Camp in the state with over 32,000 followers.
Although, the Katsina government has made Nigerians to know that the state is not yet free from the attacks of the bandits, but Masari, the governor, has told the people that they have no cause to worry, as the security agencies are not relenting in their effort in ‘’tackling the lingering security challenges to restore peace in all nooks and crannies of the state before the end of the Administration in May, 2023.
Ayba Elkana, the Zamfara state CP, may have given an insight about the resurgence of banditry in Katsina state when he disclosed that with the intensified anti-terrorism war in the state, 80 of the armed bandits staying in the north west geo-political region state, who could no longer bear the superior fire power of the Nigerian military have relocated to other states. He may have alluded to Sokoto, Katsina and the north central state of Niger, where the bandits presence are still very much being felt by the people. .
This may have informed why His Excellency, Masari, has called for a coordinated and simultaneous attacks on the terrorists dens in the flashpoint local government Areas by the security agencies in the state rather waiting for them’’ to attack the Communities ‘’. Which had been the case over the years.
Recall that between Monday, January 31, and Tuesday, February 1, 2022, the bandits had attacked and killed 13 people in Guga, Gidan Kanawa and Dukawa Communities in Safana, Bakori and Funtua and Dan Musa, Local government areas of the state. In another attack on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, on Magama section of the border town of Jibia, between Nigeria and Niger, Republic, a Divisional Police Officer, DPO, and two others were said to have been killed.
The two separate attacks in the state may have encouraged the Olayinka Oladayo Amao, an Air Marshall and Chief of Air Staff, CAS, to deploy fighter Jets in Katsina which was said to have killed 43 high profile armed bandits operating from their Gwaska’s Camp. The air strikes at Ilela border Community was said to have the armed bandits under the Command of one Gwaska Dankarami and Alhaji Abdulkarami killed. The Nigerian Air Force fighter Jets were said to have destroyed the rocky cave at the outskirts of Ilela village providing a shield to the bandits after unleashing terror on the Katsina Communities. Operation Hadarin Daji , air Component , could deal a decisive blow on the bandits in their Gwaska Camp , because it had deployed Intelligence , Surveillance and Reconnaissance , ISR, aircraft to unraveil the modus operandi of the terrorists I the state.
Dabban, the Katsina state , CP, who may have known that a lot is expected of him that he has promised put down his wealth of experience in the service , in collaboration with other security agencies ‘’to curtail the activities of the bandits turned terrorists, especially in the flashpoint Local government Areas of the state.
The CP. may have been encouraged to give the assurance to the people of the state of his readiness to synergize with other security agencies in tackling the menace because he had been adequately briefed about the high level of insecurity in the state and the efforts being made to end the crisis by Buba Sanusi, the former CP, who has been promoted to enviable rank of Assist Inspector General of Police, AIG. +
