Governor Dikko Umar Radda of Katsina says many communities in the state are no longer accessible to bandits because the locals are taking measures to defend themselves against attacks.
Radda, who maintained his stance that the number of security operatives in Nigeria is not enough to tackle insecurity in the country, noted that there is need for people to defend themselves and augment the efforts of the conventional security agencies.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa service, Radda said his administration’s effort in training locals to defend themselves against bandits’ attacks before any intervention from the security operatives is paying off as many communities are now inaccessible by the bandits.
He said, “We are not saying people should take weapons…no, what we are saying is that the security operatives we have in Nigeria are inadequate, and cannot defend all the citizens.
“What we are calling on people to do is to give us their youth so that we will train them and give them something they can start using to defend themselves before any intervention from the security operatives. And this initiative has started paying off, because there are many communities now that are not accessible by these people (bandits), and this is as a result of the measures taken by the locals.
“It is unfortunate how three or four boys (bandits) with a gun or two could wreak havoc in a community of say 500 or 1,000 or 2,000 people.”
Asked whether the call for people to protect themselves against bandits was a sign of government’s failure to address insecurity in the state, Radda said the idea became option as available security forces in the country could not protect all citizens.
“This is what we have been saying for long. The security operatives in Nigeria are not enough to provide the needed security to all people.
“This is the reason why we established ‘Katsina Community Watch’ after I assumed office. We recruited youth, trained them and handed over operational equipment to them so that they can complement the efforts of the security agencies.”
On allegations of extrajudicial operations of the local security corps, the governor said that there are laws guiding their operations.
“We have laws which guide their operations. So all their operations are guided by laws. But where there are reports of any extrajudicial operation, we make sure it is investigated. Now as we speak, there is a case of one of them who is going to be charged to court over some offence. In this fight, you are fighting bandit and he is fighting back.”
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