Gov. Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has given an insight into how cattle rustling snowballed into the current spate of kidnapping and banditry in the North West Zone of the country.
The governor spoke in Katsina when he appeared on NAN Forum, the flagship interview programme of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The governor attributed part of the security challenges the region is facing to lack of education as well as influx of criminals from some North African countries.
Masari, who said there were ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity in the state, lamented that the current situation had prevented farmers from accessing their farmlands.
” Unfortunately, what we met as cattle rustling has turned into banditry and insurgency which are depriving people, especially those living in the border area of the forests which are very fertile, from access to their farms, drastically affecting their source of livelihood.
“They have lost their ploughing cattle which they used to plough the land.
” This has caused another challenge to our “Restoration Agenda” in Katsina but we thank God that we can continue,” he said.
Masari revealed that the seven governors from the North West Zone been meeting to work out modalities on how to end insurgency, part of which is the ongoing training of about 500 vigilance members to be followed by another 3,000 soon.
“We have a committee under the North West Zone because of our linkage in terms of boundary.
” We are strategising on how to deal with the situation.
