Military / News / Security

Scores of bandits killed as NAF jets strike Sokoto, Katsina forests

Military troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI have neutralized several bandits and destroyed their hideouts at Sokoto and Katsina forests in the North West, PRNigeria reports.

A military source told PRNigeria that the mission was achieved through air strikes executed on October 5, 2021.

This was after series of aerial surveillance missions had identified the locations of the bandits.

In Sokoto, airstrikes from the Nigerian Air Force shelled Mashema, Yanfako, Gebe and Gatawa Forests located in Isaa and Sabon Birni Local Government Areas of the State. The military source said: “We observed that structures and logistics items camouflaged under the dense vegetation were being used as staging areas where some bandits from Turji and Maigona Camps and their fighters meet to plan and launch attacks.

Accordingly, the Theatre dispatched a force package of Air Force fighter jets and helicopter gunships to engage the locations.

“According to local sources in the area, the attack aircraft scored devastating hits in the target areas, destroying some structures and neutralising several of the Bandits.

“The fleeing Bandits survivors were seen by some locals taking refuge in a primary school in Bafarawa Village.”

In Katsina State, PRNigeria gathered that bandits’ hideouts in Ranch 10 parts of Rugu forest bordering Kankara Local Government Area were bombarded by NAF fighter aircraft between September 30 and October 3, 2021.

The banditry camp of one Gajere (SNU) was destroyed and 34 bandits killed in the attack.

Also, about 20 suspected bandit sustained varying degree of injuries.

. PRNigeria.…

Uncategorized

Masari to IG: You can’t police Katsina, I’ll employ vigilantes

The Katsina Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has said the Nigeria Police cannot adequately police the state with a population of about eight million with its level of manpower and equipment.

Masari said this when he received the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman Baba, at the Government House on Thursday.

He said: “Katsina State has a population of about eight million people.

“And how many policemen do we have in Katsina State?

“From my assessment of policemen in the local government areas, I don’t think we have up to 3,000 policemen in the entire state.

“Let us assume that they are up to 3,000, what it means is that we have a policeman to every 200,000 people.

“How effective can that policeman be?

“Then, we come to arms and ammunition.

“What do the police have?

“And when it comes to modern equipment for combating criminality, how much of it do the police have?

“And the same thing goes for all other security agencies.

“They are in South South battling militants.

“They are in the South East battling IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra).

“They are in North East battling Boko Haram and ISWAP and insurgents.

“And they are in the North West battling bandits.

“Here, the bandits have infiltrated the communities recruiting young men with as low as N5,000 along with drugs and other intoxicants.

“We must stop the culture of not reporting criminals because of tribal or family affiliations.”

Masari then went on to tell Baba he will recruit more vigilantes to strengthen security architecture in the state.

He said the recruitment will cover the 34 local government areas of the state.

The governor also said the vigilantes would be posted to strategic places to help the police and other security agencies with relevant information on security.

He added: “If they detect any crime or criminalities, they will alert the security in arresting the situation.

“These initiative will assist in protecting communities from bandits.”

Baba told Masari that he came in at a difficult time as the IG, adding that they …

Crime / News / Security / Transportation

We have 28 checkpoints on Katsina-Jibia Road, but only five legal — Customs

Retired Colonel Hameed Ali, the Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, has ordered the immediate removal of all illegal checkpoints along Katsina-Jibia Road.

Ali gave the order when he paid a condolence visit to the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmuminu Kabir, on Monday.

The CG, represented by ACG Uba Mohammed, Zonal Coordinator, Zone B, Kaduna, said the Service had approved only five checkpoint along the Katsina-Jibia Road.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the ACG had in a similar visit to Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State disclosed that there were about 28 checkpoints along the road. The ACG said: “On behalf of the CG, I have ordered for the immediate removal of all checkpoints along the road, except the approved five.

“Henceforth, only five checkpoints should remain along Katsina-Jibia Road.

“The police operatives along the same route should also look into the issue.

“Our visit to the state is to condole the state government, the Katsina Emirate Council and the people of Jibia Local Government Council over the recent accident involving our border drill operatives.

“This visit is occasioned by the ugly incident of August 9, 2021 where a near crisis was averted, resulting from an unforeseen vehicular accident, an incident which claimed lives and incapacitated a host of others.

“Unfortunately, that mishap, though an operational hazard, should have been averted with the deployment of the requisite safeguards.”

Mohammed said the CG had set up a committee to investigate the cause of the incident, adding that the Service would also take responsibility for the medical bills of those wounded in the accident.

While condoling the Emir, Ali reiterated the Service’s readiness to adopt proactive measures to forestall future occurrence of the incident.

In his response, the Emir said the incident, which claimed many lives, was unforgettable as it had been happening for a very long time.

Kabir said: “I always have sleepless nights over this issue and that of banditry in our communities.

“I believe that lack of proper information dissemination between the public and the security operatives is one …

Crime / News

Five feared killed as Customs chases rice smugglers in Katsina

Five residents of Jibia, Katsina State, were reportedly killed on Monday by Customs officials who were chasing rice smugglers in the area.

The killing has sparked a protest in the community.

Many other people are said to have sustained injuries in the accident and are receiving treatment at a local health facility, Premium Times has reported.

Witnesses said the vehicle of the Customs officials ploughed into a gathering while chasing the suspected rice smugglers, killing five persons instantly and injuring many others. “They were chasing rice smugglers at high speed. Their vehicle lost control and killed at least five persons, which prompted violent protests by the residents,” a source said, asking not to be named for security reasons.

“The Customs’ vehicle was vandalized by the angry protesters,” he added.

Neither the police spokesperson in Katsina, Gambo Isah, nor the Nigeria Customs Service has commented on the incident.…

Crime / News

Masari to COAS: 10 Katsina LGAs under severe attack daily

Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State says 10 out of the 34 Local Government Areas in the state are under severe attack daily by the bandits.

The governor disclosed this when he received the new Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, on a courtesy visit on Thursday.

He told the COAS that 10 local government areas have been under repeated attacks from bandits who kill, rape, injure the people, burn houses and rustle cattle.

According to Masari, the Katsina State Government is totally unhappy with the current security situation in the state and therefore must be brought to an end. He restated that the issue of security in the country is a collective responsibility not only for the security agencies.

He said: “Here in Katsina, we have created three tiers of security success, from the community to the local, up to the state level, aimed at ensuring peace in our communities.

“We want peace restored as soon as possible and allow the military to go back to the barracks for the police to take over.”

The governor further assured the COAS of the state government commitments in offering all the necessary support to enable the military discharge its duties effectively.

Earlier, the COAS told the governor that he was on operational visit to the state to interact with the troops in order to know their challenges.

According to him, the visit was also to seek for the continued support of the state government and commended the governor for his logistic and equipment support.

Yahaya assured the governor that the military would continue to work with other security agencies in the state to ensure relative peace.

He further called on the public to support the army in the discharge of their duties, especially by providing them with necessary information on criminals.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the COAS had earlier paid a similar visit to the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmuminu Kabir-Usman, who also expressed serious concern over the issue of insecurity in the state.

The …

News

Bandits kill 93 in Zamfara, gov calls for self-defence

Bandits have again killed 93 people in Kadawa village of Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, while many others were severely wounded.

A local, Mallam Muhammadu Dansani, who narrowly escaped being killed, told Saturday PUNCH on the phone that the incident happened between Thursday night and Friday morning.

“The bandits are non-Nigerians. They spoke French and wore long-plaited hair. Most of them were dark and short,” he said.

Dansani lamented that security personnel were nowhere to be found during the hours of the attack.

When contacted,  the state Commissioner of Police, Husaini Rabiu, said he had visited the scene of the crime in company with the Speaker of the House of Assembly. Rabiu also said those that were killed had been buried according to Islamic rites.

He said, “I visited the scene and mobilised our men to secure the area. Those killed had been buried according to Islamic rites.

“I cannot say the exact number of those that were killed, but the Divisional Police Officer counted over 40 corpses.  I visited the area in company with the speaker of the state house of assembly.”

Rabiu described the incident as worrisome, adding that the attackers did not want the farmers to cultivate “anything without paying them money.” Earlier, the spokesman for the state police command, Mohammed Shehu, had told our correspondent that some corpses were brought to Gusau for burial.…