By Suleiman ZUmaru
This is not the best of times for criminal elements, particular kidnappers and Cattle Rustlers in Katsina, President Muhammadu
The penalty, according to the governor , also carries a life imprisonment and fine including compensation for the victim if wrongfully charged. The laws are coming on the heels of the recent kidnap of Musa Daura, a former Customs Comptroller, Federal Operations Unit, FOU, Zone A, Ikeja, and now Magajin Garin, the next in rank in the traditional hierarchy of Authority to the Emir of Daura, whose where about iremains unknown.
The case of the Kidnapped District Head may have been made worse as the kidnappers have refused to make phone contact with the family to make their financial deman to avoid been traced by the Department of State Security , DSS, operatives, who are everywhere in the state and outside the state combing to get a clue about the kidnappers. The Nigerian security
Hassan Musa Shinfida, was another victim of the kidnappers in the state. Musa who was said to have been sold to another kidnap gang for N 250,000.00 was released recently after the family had paid a ransom of N1 million with a message to the Village Head to settle them with additional N10million or the kidnapping activities in the area would continue unabated. They were right as there have been several other kidnap cases in the area and state in general since then.
They were said to have also sent a message to Tukur Buratai, a Lt, General and Chief of Army Staff, to come and collect the guns seized from soldiers in an ambush, an indication that the Bandits have informants who are feeding them with information about the movement of soldiers in the area.
Unlike Daura, the Magajin Garin who was kidnapped in his country home, Shifda, was abducted by a 20-man gang on his way from to neighbouring Gurbin Bature market day to sell his 12 bags of sweet potatoes , harvested from his farm.
The governor may have further been encouraged to
Many believe that the signing into Law of the draconian Bill by the governor, which has the backing of the Katsina state born Nigerian President, would discourage the Bandits who have penetrated the ranks of the Youths in the state through the adjoing forest from Zamfara to beat a retreat as they may easily be caught in the act giving the tight security arrangement in the state.
Note that an aggrieved President Buhari had earlier given a matching Order to Mohammed Abubakar Adamu,then an Inspector General of Police, IGP, now Confirmed and Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin, a General and Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, To constitute an assessment team to intervene immediatly on the state and give him feedback to know what next to do.
He was said to have also instructed the Security Chiefs to find out” how the Bandits, Cattle rustlers and kidnappers carry out their operations” in a bid to confront them headlong and block their major routes of gaining access to the state. The Presidential mandate to the security Chiefs and the mandatory death penalty that had been signed into law by the governor in the state appears to have sent a signal to the criminal elements that it is no longer going to be business as ususal in Katsina state as many of them may have relocated to back to Zamfara state and other states in the north , where the death penalty has not been adopted.
there are fears in both official and unofficial circles that the mandatory death penalty Law , which has been adopted by the Katsina state government may be extended to other states in the north west geo-political region , particular Zamfara and Kaduna states.. A security source informed The Value News that even if the successor to Abdulaziz Yari, the governor of Zamfara state may be reluctant to sign such a bill if it comes to his table, Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, who believes in Buhari ‘s policies and actions, wouldquickly sign such a mandatory death penalty , whenever the House , forward such a bill to him.
Already there are pressures on the House members to quickly foot step of the Katsina House of Assembly by initiating such a Bill which would be handed over to the incoming House members to treat and forward to the state governor for his assent. Nigerians are waiting to see how many states in the country that will cue into the mandatory death policy for kidnappers and Cattle rustlers caught in the act.
Many believe that the events of 1984, when Buhari, then as a Major General and the country Head of State had , issued and signed the mandatory death penalty decree N0.4 of 184, for those dealing in drugs , which claimed the lives of Bernard Ogedegbe,29, Bartholomew Owoh, 26 and Lawal Ojuolape, 30 , before it was abrogated in 1985, by the populist regime rt. General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, in 1985, are about to repeat itself again.
This is bad news for Kidnappers and Cattlers, in Katsina, who are likely to fall victim to the Law for daring the President to carry out their Criminal activities in Katsina state as Massari , the state governor , would not spare them as he would give the go ahead for them to be executed according to the Law .