A Coalition of Northern Group (CNG) on Sunday called for increased military deployments in Katsina State to tackle the increasing menace of Banditry attacks and forestall a repeat of the Kankara incident.
The northwest Zonal Coordinator of the Group, Jamilu Aliyu Charanchi, who made the call at a press briefing on Sunday morning, described the incident at Government Science Secondary School Kankara, where bandits invaded the school, as unfortunate.
He said; “for the past few years, our state has struggled with disabling challenges that include dwindling economy, rising poverty and a crippling security situation that has taken a huge toll on lives and properties.
“The situation manifested initially in the form of cattle rusting in few local governments in the southern part of the state and within a short time, spread to other parts of the state.
“This trend suddenly metamorphosed into deadly armed banditry and kidnapping for ransom which is recycled for arms and drugs. for reasons that are largely dubious.
“The culmination of these security challenges has for the past few years turned the entire state into a house of horror with violent killings reported on a daily basis, communities displaced with formal and informal IDP camps spreading all over the state.”
While describing the situation as unacceptable including the attack launched by deadly armed bandits at Government Science Secondary Schol Kankara, he called on the Federal Government to urgently intervene and save the situation from deteriorating.
He said; “We demand additional security personnel, armour personnel carriers, fighter jets should be mobilise to Katsina state with immediate effect by the federal authorities.”
The group also commended the efforts of good samaritans in the local government for assisting in rescuing some of the students and called for collaborative efforts between the security agencies and local intelligence so as to defeat the bandits.
