Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja and Francis Sardauna in Katsina
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday assured Nigerians that the nation’s armed forces have the capacity to deal with the challenges of banditry and terrorism and called for more patience.
He spoke just as youths in his home state of Katsina marched on the streets over the wave of banditry in the state that has sacked many from their homes and resulted in hundreds of deaths and destruction of assets.
The president who said the military was taking appropriate steps to block loopholes being exploited by criminals to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens, reiterated the approval of a joint military and police operations to comb Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States to rid the areas of bandits.
A statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, said the surveillance would be improved upon with more night vision aircraft already deployed under “Operation Accord’’ which he said was launched three weeks ago.
“Nigeria’s military has displayed its capabilities in the past and will show it again by dealing with the current challenges,” the president said.
According to the statement, the president appealed to the people of Katsina State to be patient and support the ongoing military operations in their state, sympathising with those who are bereaved, injured and lost property.
Buhari urged the people of Katsina to avoid taking to the streets to protest, saying it could distract the military operations.
It also added that the president urged “Katsina indigenes not to give up on the military who over the years have a strong track record of quelling crises once given enough time.
“The major forests in North Western Nigeria have been identified as home to the bandits in the region. The operation will clear all these forests,’’ he added.
Earlier yesterday, hundreds of youths in Katsina State had embarked on another peaceful protest, calling for the immediate resignation of the president over deteriorating security challenges bedeviling the North-west region and Katsina State in particular.
They said the resignation became imperative in view of his administration’s inability to curtail banditry, kidnapping and other heinous activities in the area.
The youths, under the aegies of Coalition of Northern Groups, added that the federal government and North-west states governors have failed to tackle bloodletting in the region.
The protesters carried placards with various inscription that included: ‘Buhari/Masari resign if you cannot protect us;’ ‘End killings in Katsina and North-west now;’ ‘Buhari and Masari have betrayed us;’ ‘Bandits will finish our people;’ ‘North-west is bloody,’ among others.
They also passed a vote of no confidence on the state Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, for his inability to address the spate of banditry and kidnapping in the state.
Addressing journalists, the North-west Vice Chairman of Coalition of Northern Groups, Mr. Jamailu Aliyu Charanchi, who led the youths on the protest, called for total overhauling of the country’s security architecture and Katsina State security committees.
According to Charanchi, the review of the security architecture will pave the way for competence, integrity and accountability in handling security challenges in Katsina State and the country in general.
He said: “The rise in the spate of banditry, kidnappings and bloodshed in places such as Faskari, Danmusa and Batsari lately, has become a major trying point for everyone but the authorities have remained detached from the reality.
“The administration’s various attempts to reassert public confidence with repeated rhetoric of being on top of the situation, seems increasingly discordant as the violent attacks, killings and kidnappings have become more regular and calld for protests becoming overwhelmingly loud and widespread.”
He also called for promulgation of a legislation to compel the review of the salaries and general incentive packages of security personnel that would enable them to discharge their duties effectively.
Addressing the protesters, the Katsina State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sanusi Buba, said the federal and state governments had done tremendously well in tackling banditry and insurgency confronting the country.
