Anti-banditry protesters block roads in Katsina

Residents of Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State blocked major roads on Saturday as they protested bandits’ operations in some communities in the area.

The protesters called on the government to intensify efforts to protect their lives and property.

The residents blocked the ever-busy Marabar-Kankara to Katsina and Kano state roads, as well as the road linking Malumfashi to Funtua and Kaduna State.

One of the residents, Muhammad Sabiu, said they want the government to hasten to tackle the problem ”because what is happening in these areas is bad.

“The most affected areas include Malumfashi West, Burdugau, Unguwar-danguna, Yar-teba, Dangume, up to Yargoje.

“Right now, there are corpses of people killed by the bandits in the bush, and they have prevented us from evacuating them.

“The killings happened three days ago. That is what is happening day and night in our communities.

“We are calling on the government and the authorities concerned to hasten intensifying measures to curtail the problem.

“They have even prevented some of us from farming, so life in those places has become extremely difficult,” he said.

Another resident, Salmanu Yusuf, said: “We blocked the roads to show our sadness over the high rate of insecurity in the communities.

“Most of the children around us are orphans, and they don’t have food to eat, so we need urgent support”.

On his part, Sagir Sa’ad decried the high rate of insecurity in their areas.

“Right now, there are over 12 corpses of people killed by the bandits that have not been evacuated,” he bemoaned.

When contacted, the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasiru Muazu-Danmusa, said the government was addressing the issues raised by the protesters.

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“It was over, and the protesters were already addressed by the Galadiman Katsina, District Head of Malumfashi,” he said.

It would be recalled that the North-West Governors’ Forum and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently organised a security summit to address the lingering insecurity in the zone.

The two-day summit, held in Katsina on 24 June, had the theme: “Regional Cooperation for securing lives and livelihoods”.

Governor Dikko Radda, the forum’s chairman, stressed the importance of confronting the menace collectively, saying, “because it is a concern to all.”

Mr Radda said their goal was to provide peace and ensure the security of lives and property in the region.

Various stakeholders discussed the problem extensively and proffered solutions.

(NAN)