Their sacrifice will not be in vain – Governor Radda mourns
From Agaju Madugba, Katsina
The wave of terror ravaging parts of Katsina continued on Saturday with the murder of a Commander of the state’s Community Security Watch Corps, along with four of his men.
Until his killing, Commander Sanusi coordinated security operations of the Corps in Kusada, Kankia, and parts of Charanchi Local Government Areas.
Reports said the security team was heading towards Maharba village in their Hilux patrol vehicle, in response to a distress call about a large number of bandits approaching villages in Matazu Local Government Area.
“Bandits numbering about 20, on motorcycles, ambushed them at a major stream,” a source said, adding the hoodlums concealed themselves in mango trees from where they launched an attack, setting the Hilux van on fire and roasting the security personnel.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda led a security delegation to Maharba village to conduct an on-the-spot assessment, a Government House statement said on Sunday.
The Governor’s delegation, which included the Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr Nasiru Muazu Danmusa, the Commissioner of Police, the Director of State Security Services, the Chief of Staff, Alhaji Abdulkadir Mamman Nasir, and other security personnel, was led to the scene of the incident by the Matazu Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Shamsudeen Muhammad Sayaya.
The statement, signed by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, said that the Governor used the opportunity to tour “hard-to-reach areas” to gain first-hand knowledge of the community’s conditions and engaged directly with residents about his administration’s mission and government readiness to address security challenges.
“On behalf of the government and the good people of Katsina, Governor Radda expressed condolences to the families of the deceased C-Watch personnel, praying that God Almighty will grant the families and the state the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” the statement said.
The latest attack comes on the heels of several other incidents, especially the recent onslaught on the Gobirawa community in Dutsinma Local Government Area, where bandits murdered 19 residents in cold blood and set their houses and shops ablaze.