Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State, yesterday, accused the Federal Government and security agencies of failing to secure the lives and property of Nigerians.
His lamentation came on a day indigenous people of Katsina State resident in the nation’s capital, Abuja, expressed great concern over the recent breakdown of law and order across several villages and communities in the state, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to act swiftly to stem the tide.
Masari, who spoke in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, said the people relied on the government and security agencies for protection.
He said: “Security officials and we, the government, are who the people rely on to protect them, and we have failed in doing so.
“But if you take a look at the cause of the failure, a lot of security operatives have been killed. Not up to two weeks ago, a commissioner of police lost his life; an inspector lost his life; soldiers have been killed, officers have lost their lives in their efforts to tackle insecurity.
“Insecurity has not just affected Katsina State only, it has affected almost every state in Nigeria and also some of our neighbours like Niger, Mali are also battling this issue.
“There has been improvement unlike before, but we haven’t reached where we want to and we are praying to God to overcome and tackle the issue of insecurity before handing over to the next administration.”
Act on banditry now, Katsina youths beg Buhari
Meanwhile, the indigenous people of Katsina State resident in the nation’s capital, have expressed great concern over the recent breakdown of law and order, across several villages and communities in the state, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to act swiftly to stem the tide.
Speaking under the aegis of Concerned Katsina Youth Vanguard, the residents said the situation was not only displacing thousands of people locally, but now also forcing a gradual exodus into neighbouring countries where they were further exploited and often maltreated.
They noted that being the home state of the president, the situation was not just worrisome but also embarrassing to the administration.
Spokesman of the group, Mallam Abu Makera, also noted that many of the non-state actors laying siege to their communities had plunged them into a state of helplessness, adding that killings, which ordinarily seemed frightening had become a usual occurrence in most Katsina communities.
“To further show the high level of insecurity in the state, bandits recently opened fire on the convoy of President Muhammadu Buhari’s advance team heading for Daura, ahead of Sallah, near Dutsin-ma in Katsina.
“This ugly security threat is becoming worrisome and embarrassing because this is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari who is the chief security officer of the country.
“It is obvious that the situation is beyond the security agents attached to the state. Therefore, we are using this medium to call on the federal government to deploy more security to the area before it is too late. Mr. President should act now.”
