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Tag: Katsina

  • Bandits’ Kingpin surrenders self, three AK 47 rifles to Army in Katsina

    Bandits’ Kingpin surrenders self, three AK 47 rifles to Army in Katsina

    A bandit kingpin, commonly known as’’ Sada’’, has willingly surrendered to troops at forwarding Operation Base at Dansadau and submitted three AK 47 rifles, one Sub Machine Gun, and two Magazines

    Army’s Acting Director, Media Operations Brigadier-General Bernard Onyeuko, told newsmen in a press release made available at Army Super Camp 4 in Faskari, Katsina State, that the surrendering of the bandit was as a result of intensified pressure from ‘’Operation SAHEL SANITY”

    He further disclosed that the bandit is being profiled for further necessary action by the civil authority.

    In another operation, troops conducting stop and search along Bingi road intercepted a suspected bandit: Isah Shehu, who was arrested with camouflage uniform concealed in a bag.

    Investigations revealed that he was a notorious bandit addressed as “Commander” by members of his group.

    According to Onyeuko, the bandit is currently in custody providing troops with vital information.

    He said ’’In the quest to root out bandits and all criminal elements in the northwest zone of the country, troops of Operation SAHEL SANITY have relentlessly doubled their efforts in this regard. The gallant troops deployed within the theatre of operation have recorded more successes against the bandits and other criminal elements in the zone’’.

    ‘’On 30 August 2020, following credible information on bandits’ movement with 40 cattle rustled at Kwanar Maje area, the gallant troops quickly moved in and intercepted the bandits along with Anka – Gummi road. However, on sighting the advancing troops from afar, the criminals abandoned the cattle and fled into the forest. All the rustled cattle were successfully recovered and handed back to the rightful owners’’

    He also disclosed that troops deployed at Faskari in Katsina State on routine patrol came in contact with some bandits in the company of 2 women suspected to have been kidnapped and that after a hot pursuit the bandits abandoned their 2 kidnapped women who were later rescued and reunited with their families.

    There was also a gun duel with the bandits at Mararaban Kawaye following a tip-off that armed bandits have kidnapped 3 commuters.

    The troops were able to track the bandits through their withdrawal route and engaged them in a firefight which forced the bandits to abandon the kidnapped victims and fled into the bush.

  • Father arrested for keeping 16-year-old son in cage for four years in Katsina

    Father arrested for keeping 16-year-old son in cage for four years in Katsina

    A 16-year-old boy, identified as Sadiqu Daura, who was confined to a cage for four years by his father because of his condition, has been allocated a room in the man’s house.

    Sadiqu’s father, Mallam Salisu Daura, confirmed the development when a team from a non-government organisation, Save the Children, visited his house in Daura, Katsina State, on Tuesday.

    The organisation is at the forefront of those protecting the boy’s interest to ensure that he lives a normal life.

    Salisu told the team, “I regret my actions and it’ll never happen again. The people, who took up this case, are not my enemies. They will live long, because I’ll keep praying for their success. They’ve helped me and I’ve now realised my mistakes.

    “I don’t have enough rooms in the house as you can see. I didn’t put him in the cage to punish him or because I don’t love him. It was just my way of allocating a room to him.”

    The father of 16, who is also a tailor, showed Sadiqu’s new room, which is about 90 per cent complete, to the team.

    Investigation revealed that Sadiqu’s predicament started when he lost his mother six years ago.

    Being a cripple, he was then taken to his paternal grandmother, who also died shortly thereafter.

    Sadiqu was thereafter brought back to his father’s house and was put inside a cage because of his condition.

    It was learnt that a change agent of the Save the Children in Daura, Mallam Aminu Gambo, drew the attention of the organisation to Sadiqu’s plight and the NGO consequently took it up.

    “Upon finding out about Sadiqu’s predicament, we swung into action by first visiting the house. We took the matter to the Police Area Commander, who sent us to the command headquarters in Katsina,” Gambo stated.

    A top police source revealed that Sadiqu is mentally ill, a development which he said occasionally affected his behaviour and interaction with people.

    The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity said, “The father is not wicked. We all have our individual challenges. When the matter was brought to our notice, we carried out our investigation and we discovered that apart from being crippled, the boy is also mentally ill.

    “We directed the father to ensure that the boy is well taken care of. And this, the father did according to his ability.”

  • Gunmen kidnap APC ward chairman, two others in Katsina

    Gunmen kidnap APC ward chairman, two others in Katsina

    Gunmen have reportedly abducted the All Progressives Congress’ chairman for Dantankari ‘A’ ward in Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    According to residents, the gunmen also abducted a woman and her stepson along with the ward chairman.

    It was learnt that the gunmen stormed the town on Thursday night and abducted the party Chairman simply identified as Alhaji Safiu Dantankari.

    The names of the other two victims could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report.

    The whereabouts of the three victims are still unknown.

  • Bandits ambush Nigerian soldiers in Katsina, kill 16

    Bandits ambush Nigerian soldiers in Katsina, kill 16

    An ambush by suspected bandits in Katsina State on Saturday left at least 16 soldiers and officers dead and 28 others wounded.

    Troops of the Special Army Super Camp 4 were said to be advancing on foot in Shimfida in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State at about 6:13 p.m. Saturday when the armed militants opened fire on them from a hilltop, military sources said.

    The officers killed in the attack included a major, a captain and a lieutenant, military sources told newsmen. Two bandits were also injured in the exchanges, officials briefed on the matter said.

    When contacted, army spokesperson, Sagir Musa, said he could neither confirm nor comment on the attack as he was hearing it for the first time.

    Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari in northwestern Nigeria, has seen a spate of attacks by armed militants.

    In Katsina State, over 2,000 people have been killed, 500 communities destroyed and over 33,000 people displaced, a 2020 report by the West Africa Network for Peace building said.

    President Buhari, after scores of residents of a Katsina community blocked a highway to protest incessant attacks by armed bandits in May, promised a major military onslaught to rid the state of bandits and kidnappers.

    “A major proactive operation by Special Forces, which details are being kept secret, is now in progress to replace the reactive strikes against insurgent camps,” presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said in a statement then.

    “To give a full effect to the exercise, a planning team is already in the state selecting targets and making preparations for the execution of the “unprecedented” operation.”

  • Victims played with grenade before explosion – Katsina police

    Victims played with grenade before explosion – Katsina police

    The five siblings who died during a bomb explosion on Saturday at Yammama village in Malumfashi Local Government Area of Katsina State played with military grenade on a farmland, the police have said.

    According to the police preliminary investigation, the five victims alongside six injured others found the grenade while working on the farm.

    The Spokesman for Katsina Police Command, SP Gambo Isah, made this known in a statement on Saturday night.

    He said experts from the police explosives unit were already on the farm for further findings.

    He said, “Investigation revealed that the children picked a military grenade and were fiddling with it and as a result of which it exploded.

    “The scene has been preserved while detectives from EOD and CID are presently conducting their investigations. The investigation is ongoing.”

    Military authorities were yet to comment on the development as of the time of filing this report.

    Meanwhile, the remains of the five victims were buried on Saturday according to Islamic rites.

  • Like Lagos, Oyo, Katsina, Delta now battling surge in Covid-19 infections, toll exceeds 23, 000

    Like Lagos, Oyo, Katsina, Delta now battling surge in Covid-19 infections, toll exceeds 23, 000

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced late Friday night 684 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria, shooting the national caseload to 23,298.

    Lagos accounted for 259 cases, followed by Oyo with 76.

    Katsina logged 69 cases.

    Delta state where the daughter of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has tested positive posted 66 cases.

    The state is now the 6th most affected state, as it overtook Ogun.

    While Ogun has 755 cases, Delta has 781 cases.

    Rivers recorded 46 cases and Ogun 23.

    Edo and Osun are tied on 22 cases, with Ebonyi also recording 21 cases.

    Delta was not the only state that moved up in its ranking.

    Oyo has also overtaken Kano to make the third position.

    The cumulative number of cases in Oyo is now 1,264 cases, while Kano, in 4th place has 1,191 cases.

    On Friday night, there was no single confirmed case recorded for the state.

    Here is the breakdown of the daily cases:

    Lagos-259
    Oyo-76
    Katsina-69
    Delta-66
    Rivers-46
    Ogun-23
    Edo-22
    Osun-22
    Ebonyi-21
    FCT-20
    Kaduna-16
    Ondo-10
    Imo-9
    Abia-9
    Gombe-5
    Plateau-4
    Bauchi-4
    Ekiti-2
    Anambra-1

    23,298 confirmed
    8,253 discharged
    554 deaths

  • Failed politicians behind violence, banditry in the North- Security expert

    Failed politicians behind violence, banditry in the North- Security expert

    A security expert and public affairs commentator, Mr Terrence Kuanum, has attributed the incessant cases of violence and bandit attacks in parts of northern Nigeria to the activities of failed politicians who want to paint the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in bad light.

    He insisted that the Nigerian military is doing a good job of ridding the country of insurgency and terrorism explaining that the scourge has continued only because other critical stakeholders in the sector have not been alive to their responsibilities.

    Kuanum who spoke with journalists in his residence in Abuja, said information available to him as an expert in security matters indicates that most of the cases of violence and banditry in northern Nigeria are politically motivated and sponsored by those who contested and lost against the ruling party in recent elections.

    The security expert said the failed politicians believe that by sponsoring violence and other acts of criminality they would be de-marketing the Buhari presidency so as to put them in stead to contest in 2023.

    Kuanum said information at his disposal indicates that many of the failed politicians are not happy with the gains made by the military against insurgents and criminals in recent times and are hellbent on thwarting the efforts due to their 2023 ambitions

    “They are scared that if Buhari is allowed to continue with his streak of achievements especially in the area of security, then he would have fulfilled one of the cardinal objectives of his administration to secure the nation and that would further bury their dreams of returning to power.

    “They know they have nothing to offer to the people so they don’t want to allow the President deliver on his mandate as that would put the final nail on their political coffin,” he stated.

    The security expert said the failed politicians were particularly angered by the accolades the Buhari administration was receiving from all over the world over its ability to neutralise terrorists operating on the fringes of the Lake Chad region so they decided to work against it.

    He said, “If you have been observing developments in the Northeast, you will notice that our military have been on top of their games neutralising the insurgents and making it difficult for them the launch surprise attacks on communities and it became obvious that the total defeat of the insurgents is a matter of days.

    “Encomiums started pouring in from all over including those critical of the Buhari administration, that the administration is doing well and the president was going to keep his promise about providing adequate secuirty in the country.

    “So they distracted the military with banditry attacks in the Northwest and in that moment, struck in the Northeast all in the bid to paint the current administration in bad light.”

    Kuanum said it is high time people are made aware of this conspiracy so they would realise that the fault is not that of the military which is doing its best to secure the nation but due to the activities of some unpatriotic elements.

    The security expert said it is curious that the Nigerian military which is one of the best in the world should be put on a negative spot light for operations carried out at home.

    He asked: “Does it not strike you as curious that the same military which liberated Sierra Leone; rescued UN soldiers from terrorists in Somalia; restored democracy in Liberia and led successful joint military operations in several parts of world would be said to be failing at home?”

    He said this is clearly an indication that some forces are behind the campaign to sustain the carnage.

    “You cannot reconcile the fact that the Nigerian military which has such a sterling record of achievements abroad could be said to be overstretched at home,” he stated.

  • Insecurity in Katsina: Man arrested in Abuja for leading protest against killings in Buhari’s state

    Insecurity in Katsina: Man arrested in Abuja for leading protest against killings in Buhari’s state

    Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG), Nastura Sharif, has been arrested by the police in connection with the protest against the insecurity in the north.

    On Tuesday, some members of the group protested in Katsina, calling on Aminu Masari, the governor, to resign if he could not guarantee the security of lives.

    They also demanded action from the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    In a statement on Wednesday, Aminu Adam, the group’s director of operations, said the police arrested Sharif after “the peaceful protest”.

    He explained that after the protest, Sanusi Buba, the state commissioner of police, invited leaders of the group for an interactive session in his office.

    Adam said five member of the group, including himself and Sharif, had honoured a police invitation after which theb group’s leader was detained.

    “After the protest ended peacefully, the Katsina state police commissioner, Mr. Sanusi Buba, invited us to his office for an interaction during which he told us that the Inspector General of Police wanted to see Sharif,” he said.

    “The commissioner handed us to a team of policemen, headed by the OC (officer in charge), federal operations bureau (FOB), who led us to Abuja.

    “We drove from Katsina to Abuja with the police team in a white bus and a hilux. However, on getting to force headquarters in Abuja, they told us that Sharif is under arrest for the protest and they put him in detention.”

  • Insecurity: I have failed – Masari tells Katsina people

    Katsina Governor, Aminu Masari, on Monday, declared that he has failed in protecting the people from bandits.

    The State has been under repeated attacks from bandits who kill, rape, injure the people, burn houses and rustle cattle.

    Masari told newsmen at the Government House that the bandits were “worse than animals”.

    The Katsina helmsman said he cannot look at the people “in the face because we have failed to protect them, contrary to our pledge to ensure the security of lives and property”.

    He noted that in the forest, “a lion or a tiger kills only when it is hungry and it doesn’t kill all animals, it only kills the one it can eat at a time”.

    “But what we see here is that bandits come to town, spray bullets, kill indiscriminately for no purpose and no reason whatsoever, like the recent massacre of people at Faskari and parts of Dandume local government area”.

    He lamented that the bandits “just killed the people”, querying how human beings “behave the way an animal cannot behave?”

    On Monday night, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) referred to Masari’s apology in a statement on the attack on the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) by Femi Adesina, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman.

    “On the same day Mr Adesina released his laughable response, an APC Governor of Katsina, the President’s State, was categoric in his admission of the administration’s failure and openly apologised to citizens over their plight, something the Presidency could learn from”, CNG spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman noted.

  • Police declare 45-year-old bandit wanted in Katsina

    Police declare 45-year-old bandit wanted in Katsina

    Katsina State Police Command Monday declared 45-year-old notorious leader of group of bandits named Adamu Aliero alias ”Yankuzo”who hailed from Yankuzo village in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State,wanted.

    The Commissioner of Police for Katsina State, CP Sanusi Buba Sanusi told newsmen while parading 50 arrested bandits that the group have been terrorizing Katsina and Zamfara States.

    He further stated that group were responsible for the recent killings in Faskari and Dan Musa LGAs.

    He said: ”based on credible intelligence,the command succeeded in bursting a notorious syndicate of bandits numbering 200 on Motor bikes that attacked Kadisau Village in Faskari LGA.

    ”suspects confessed to have killed several innocent villagers, rustled over hundreds of cows and kidnapped 4 women during the attack.’

    ”Consequently , the command hereby wishes to declare Adamu Aliero, allias ”Yankuzo”” of Yankuzo Village in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State wanted.”

    The Police boss also announced the placement of a bounty of N5m on the head of the wanted man dead or alive.

    He further requested any person or group of persons with useful information on his whereabouts to report to the nearest Police station.