Gov. Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has given insight into how activities of cattle rustlers, over time, snowballed into the current kidnapping and banditry in parts of the North-West of the country.
The governor revealed this at the weekend in Katsina when he appeared on “Forum”, a special interview programme of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The governor attributed part of the insecurity the region was facing to the lack of both religious and western education and influx of criminals from some North African countries.
The governor, who said though there were ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity in the State, lamented how the current situation was preventing 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 areas of the forests which are very fertile.
This is depriving them access to their farms and drastically affecting their source of livelihood.
“They have lost their ploughing cattle which they used to plough the land.
“This has caused another challenge to our “Restoration Agenda” in Katsina State, but we thank God that we can continue.
Masari said that the seven governors of the North West had been meeting to work out modalities to end insurgency.
According to him, part of this is the ongoing training of about 500 vigilantes to be followed by another 3,000 soon.
“We have a committee under North West because of our linkage in terms of boundary.
“We are strategising 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.
“All of us are doing that at various levels and we have a committee where my SA on Security is representing me, we have governor of Niger State as the chairman; we are sharing our experiences.
“We have infiltration from Niger Republic, Mali which have very large ungoverned spaces and you know the problem in Libya has unleashed arms and ammunition on sub-Saharan Africa.
“We have to accept that within these areas, Nigeria is the richest and an attraction for all forms of criminality and kidnapping.
“Even ISWAP will want to, at least, stay in the North West to institute family here, but we are fighting day and night to ensure that it doesn’t happen.
“We are working night and day to make sure that it doesn’t become a permanent feature.
“Again, there is the issue of drugs, because these young men that the bandits are using to carry out these attacks, they give them all forms of hard drugs and intoxicants before they work on them.
“The major problem we are facing now is the issue of selected kidnapping.
“They have moved a step further by going to town and kidnap a member of a family; that is the stage we are dealing with now.
“But for me, no more innocent people living in the forests; when we started, there were innocent people but today, there are very few innocent.
“If I meet these innocent people, I will hold them; it is either they are being supported by their children who are thieves or criminals, or women who cannot do otherwise.
“You know that your husband is bad; he is a bandit or insurgent. Some of the women, having nowhere to go, will want to stay and hope for the best.
“Eventually, she becomes a bandit or gives birth to a bandit; so for me, no more innocent people in the forests,” Masari said.
