Insecurity: Katsina assembly seeks reversal of telecoms shutdown

Katsina State House of Assembly has called on the state government to review the telecommunication network shutdown in parts of the state.

The lawmakers made the call when the member representing Batsari Constituency, Jabir Yusuf Yauyau, moved a motion of urgent public importance during a plenary presided over by the deputy speaker, Shehu Dalhatu Tafoki.

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The motion followed a banditry attack that claimed 11 lives and left 13 injured in Batsari Local Government Area of the state.

Yauyau said, “The most worrying part of the incident was that there was no network for the people of Batsari town to inform the security agencies about the attack while it was ongoing.

“Therefore, I am calling on the government to review its security measures, especially the removal of telecom services. This lack of network has worsened the situation,” he added.

In his contribution, the lawmaker representing Matazu Constituency, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar, said that on the same day, bandits also attacked a community in his constituency and kidnapped five persons.

He further suggested that the government should provide another means of communication so that security personnel can be reached immediately when a similar attack is happening.

Most of the lawmakers that contributed during deliberations on the issue suggested that the government should review some of the security measures.

Following the deliberations, the assembly ordered its standing committee on security to meet the security agencies over the issue and report back to it on Tuesday for further actions.

Recall that in August this year, Governor Aminu Masari signed the state’s Security Challenge Containment Order, in which the government adopted 12 measures to contain banditry in the state.