Banditry attacks: I’ve failed, Masari confesses 

Agaju Madugba, Katsina

Katsina Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has confessed his inability to meet the aspirations of the people, especially in ensuring the security of lives and property in parts of the state. 

He attributed the development to the murderous activities of bandits.

“I am a very unhappy person because we have never had moments of respite within the last five years that the leadership of this state can describe as comfortable.”

Reports indicated that at least 70 persons were killed within the last two weeks in separate attacks by bandits across a number of communities in the Katsina.

Masari who spoke during an interactive session with reporters at the Government House regretted that he could not summon enough courage to pay condolence visit to the affected communities.

“I don’t know what to tell them. I cannot look at them in the face because we have failed to protect them, contrary to our pledge to ensure the security of lives and property throughout the state. I never expected the behaviour and the attitude of people living in the forests, the bandits, whose behaviour is worse than that of animals. In the forest, a lion or a tiger kills only when it is hungry and it doesn’t kill all animals, it only kills the one it can eat at a time. But what we see here is that bandits come to town, spray bullets, kill indiscriminately for no purpose and no reasons whatsoever like the recent massacre of people at Faskari and parts of Dandume Local Government Area. They just killed the people. How can a human being behave the way an animal cannot behave.

“That is why I say that they are worse than the animals in the forest.  For me, there are no longer innocent persons in the forests. Our role is to complement efforts of the security agencies for which I believe we are doing nothing less than 90 per cent in terms of whatever is expected of us, based on resources available to us,” he said.

Masari however said under the Exclusive List in the Constitution, security remains the responsibility of the Federal Government.