Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, has revealed how the Nigerian military can defeat bandits and end banditry in the North West and North Central region.
Speaking on Tuesday when he received the service chiefs led by Chief of Defence Saff, Lucky Irabor, at the Government House, Katsina, Masari asked the military to simultaneously fight bandits in the two regions.
According to the governor, the reason is that the bandits always relocate to another region after they may have been flushed out of a state.
Masari has however pledged to support the military in their operations in the state.
He said: “Unless and until these criminals are simultaneously fought, no meaningful result will be achieved.
“You will always find out that if you overpower them in one area, they move to another.
“It is the same people that move to Zamfara and Niger states to continue with their criminalities.”
In his remark, Irabor said the service chiefs were in the state to assess the operations of their officers in the area.
Meanwhile, gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted at least 55 persons in different attacks on Katsina villages.
The gunmen attacked the village of Katsalle in Sabuwa Local Government Area on Monday night.
It was gathered that the bandits abducted 30 persons from the village, the majority of whom where women.
Confirming the abduction, a resident of Katsalle told DailyTrust that about 40 of the gunmen arrived in the village around 12pm on Monday, using motorcycles.
“When we saw them coming, we hid, we tried to reach out to the women but it was impossible, because we could hear the cries of the children for help, there was no way we could do it, there was a house where they took ten women,” he said.
The gunmen also reportedly attacked the villages of Unguwar Tukur and Sabon Layin Mai Keke on Sunday.
At Unguwar Tukur, the bandits abducted 10 women, while at Sabon Layin Mai Keke 15 were abducted.