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Tag: Katsina

  • Police kill 3 bandits in Katsina, rescue kidnap victims

    Police kill 3 bandits in Katsina, rescue kidnap victims

    The Police Command in Katsina says it has suceeded in thwarting a kidnap attempt, killed three suspected bandits, and rescued all the kidnapped victims.

    ASP Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, the command’s spokesman, who disclosed this said the incident occurred at Duya village, Maibakko ward, in Sabuwa Local Government Area (LGA).

    “On June 7, 2024, information was received at the Sabuwa Divisional Police Headquarters that armed bandits in their numbers, wielding dangerous weapons, attacked Duya village and kidnapped a number of women

    “Upon receipt of the report, promptly, the DPO of the Divisional headquarters, CSP Aliyu Mustapha, in collaboration with members of the vigilante, mobilised a team of operatives to the scene.

    “On noticing the presence of the team, the bandits opened fire on the them, which the team responded gallantly and successfully thwarted the kidnapping attempt and rescued all the kidnapped victims.

    “In the course of scanning the scene, the bodies of three neutralised suspected bandits were recovered from the scene,” Sadiq-Aliyu said.

    He said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Aliyu Abubakar-Musa, commended the operatives for their exceptional display of bravery and gallantry.

    He said that Abubakar-Musa also reiterated the command’s commitment towards ensuring the safety and security of the good people of the state.

  • NAF airstrikes knockout terrorists’ camps in Kaduna, Katsina

    NAF airstrikes knockout terrorists’ camps in Kaduna, Katsina

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), says the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch and Hadarin Daji have eliminated terrorists’ enclaves killing scores in Kaduna and Katsina States.

    This is contained in a statement by the Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, AVM Edward Gabkwet, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Gabkwet said the air strikes by the Air Component of Operation Whirl Punch on terrorists’ enclave in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State between May 30 and May 31, yielded the requisite outcome.

    He said the strikes were executed at the stronghold of the infamous terrorist, Buharinyadi, situated at Bula Forest area in Giwa LGA of the state.

    The strikes, he said, prompted by painstaking Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (IRS) operations conducted in the targeted vicinity where several clusters of thatched roofed huts within compounds were observed amid thick vegetation.

    Gabkwet said the surveillance also confirmed a substantial presence of armed terrorists loitering around the huts and over 13 motorcycles seen tucked under a large umbrella tree.

    He added that a targeted exploitation of multiple sources revealed that the terrorists at the location were responsible for most of the attacks and kidnappings in several communities within Birnin Gwari, Igabi and Giwa LGAs.

    “Accordingly, the Air Component dispatched its available air assets to strike the location.

    “Overhead the location, scores of the terrorists were sighted and subsequently struck, bringing effective and maximum damage on the targets and their equipment.

    “Following a tip that some of the surviving terrorists had relocated 500 meters west of the interdicted location, a follow up strike was immediately conducted, with a post-strike Battle Damage Assessment revealing the neutralisation of several terrorists and their hideouts engulfed in flames,” he said.

    The NAF spokesman said that similar air strikes were also carried out by the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji on June 2, at Zango Hill in Kankara LGA of Katsina State.

    He said that intelligence revealed that the location which had a cluster of huts and zinc roofed structures with multiple human and livestock movements, was being used by a terrorists’ kingpin, Alhaji Iliya and his cohorts.

    Gwabket said that air interdiction was conducted over the location to decimate the terrorists, destroy their weapons and mobility.

    “After the strike, Battle Damage Assessment footages and feedback received revealed that the strikes were successful as several terrorists were eliminated and their structures engulfed in flames.

    “The NAF, in collaboration with surface forces, will continue to sustain domination of the battlespace through extensive situational awareness, constant patrols, and targeted interdiction of terrorists’ safe havens within its various Areas of Responsibility.

    “Still, a whole of society approach remains a key factor in the ongoing efforts to minimise the threats posed by criminal elements,” he said.

  • We’ve reduced banditry by 70% – Radda

    We’ve reduced banditry by 70% – Radda

    Gov. Dikko Radda of Katsina State,  said his administration has reduced banditry to about 70 per cent in the last one year.

    According to the Governor, this was sequel to the robust synergy between the  local security outfits and the conventional security agencies across the state.

    Radda, who was on a working visit to Yola, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Saturday.

    He said, ”It is high time to have state Police included in the fight against insecurity in the country.

    “We have reduced the rate of banditry to about 60 to 70 per cent. What we are witnessing now is the crazy approach by the bandits going to hard-to-reach villages close to forests, burning houses and killing people.

    “We have developed strategies to fight it”, he said.

    Radda further explained that most of the developing countries have state Police that secure lives and properties.

    He urged governments at all levels to prioritise education for the development of the sector in Nigeria.

    Radda said, ”This will give opportunity to the less privileged, to access quality education at all levels.”

  • Security operatives rescue 17 abducted passengers in Katsina

    Security operatives rescue 17 abducted passengers in Katsina

     

    A combined security force has rescued 17 abducted passengers mostly males from the clutch of violent extremists in the Solar General Area of Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

    A military source said the success followed a distress call received on May 11, 2024, at about noon.

    He said the Nigerian Army Team 9 Troops, in collaboration with the Katsina Police Command, State Community Watch Corps, Special Hunters, and local hunters from Batsari were consequently and swiftly mobilised and deployed to the scene.

    Upon arrival, the combined security forces engaged the violent extremists in a firefight, thus abandoning their abductees and fleeing into the surrounding nearby bush.

    The military source revealed that all the abducted passengers were successfully rescued and have been released to the officials of Batsari Local Government Area of the state.

    In a Sunday statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Katsina Governor, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed explained that the troops remain actively deployed in the general area of Katsina State to deter further criminal activities and ensure the safety of residents.

  • Eid-el-fitr: Katsina governor, Radda pardons 22 inmates

    Eid-el-fitr: Katsina governor, Radda pardons 22 inmates

    Governor, Dikko Radda the governor of Katsina state  has secured the release of 222 inmates from various correctional facilities in the state by settling their fines.

    The chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula-Mohammed made this known via a statement on Tuesday in Katsina.

    According to him, the decision to set free the inmates  was part of the compassionate move to bring happiness to the inmates in the Holy Month of Ramadan, to enable them celebrate the Eid-el-Fitr festivities with their families.

    The inmates, according to him, were those detained due to their inability to pay fines imposed on them by different courts of law.

    Kaula-Mohammed quoted the Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of the state, Hajiya Fadila Muhammad-Dikko, saying that the initiative would go a long way in decongesting the custodial centers.

    “The commissioner, who expressed sincere gratitude to the governor, also acknowledged the significance of this gesture by providing relief to those incarcerated for minor and non-capital offenses.

    “The selection process for the beneficiaries involved thorough verification and recommendations to the state government for intervention in paying the fines holding them in the correctional facilities,” he quoted Muhammad-Dikko as saying.

  • Scores of passengers reportedly kidnapped as bandits attack 18-seater bus in Katsina

    Scores of passengers reportedly kidnapped as bandits attack 18-seater bus in Katsina

    Kankara  Local Government Area of Katsina State was on Thursday morning thrown into pandemonium when scores of passengers were reportedly kidnapped by bandits.

    It was gathered that the hoodlums intercepted an eighteen-seater bus with the registration number (14B-300-KT), loaded with passengers, belonging to the Katsina State Transport Authority.

    An eyewitness told Channels Television on a telephone call that most of the passengers on board were in transit from Funtua LGA to Katsina LGA.

    The eye eyewitness said the incident occurred precisely between the Burdugau and Yargoje communities before reaching Kankara town.

    However, authorities concerned are yet to make comments on the kidnap as of the time of making this report.

    Kankara is one of the frontline local government areas in Katsina South where not only the residents but commuters live in fear of bandit attacks.

    The North-West state is one of Nigeria’s worst hit by banditry.

  • Police place N50m bounty on 2 Katsina bandits

    Police place N50m bounty on 2 Katsina bandits

    The Police Command in Katsina State on Sunday promised a N50 million reward to anyone with useful information that could lead to the arrest of two bandits – Modi Modi and Jan Kare.

    The Police, in a statement by the Public Relations Officer, Mr Abubakar Aliyu, alleged that the duo had been responsible for most of the terrorist attacks in the state.

    The statement alleged that Modi Modi and Jan Kare, all males, were operating within Katsina State, particularly in the regions of Kankara and Safana Local Government Areas.

    “The safety of the residents is of paramount importance, that is why we are making these commitments. We are taking decisive actions against criminal elements threatening peace and stability,” it said.

    Aliyu explained that the identity of the informant and the information provided would be kept strictly confidential.

    “All concerned citizens are encouraged to give us any relevant information that could assist the security agencies in apprehending the masterminds behind these heinous crimes of kidnapping and banditry in the state,” he said.

    He urged anyone with useful information to contact the command headquarters or call the following numbers: 07015142112 08023871144.

  • Police, army foil kidnap attempt, rescue 10 victims

    Police, army foil kidnap attempt, rescue 10 victims

    The Police Command in Katsina State in collaboration with the army has foiled a kidnap attempt and rescued 10 victims on Kukar Babangida/Yan Gayya feeder road.

    The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, disclosed this on Tuesday in an interview with NAN in Katsina.

    He said: ”On Feb. 25, at about 10.40 p.m, the police command in collaboration with the military foiled a bandit attack and rescued 10 kidnapped victims along Kukar Babangida to Yan Gayya feeder road, Jibia Local Government Area.

    “The joint team while on routine patrol along the road, came under serious fire by some suspected armed bandits in their numbers, armed with dangerous weapons like AK-47 rifles.

    ”Promptly, the operational competent patrol team returned fire and succeeded in foiling the attack and rescued 10 kidnapped victims.”

    The police spokesman said that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Aliyu Abubakar-Musa, commended the officers for displaying exceptional gallantry.

    He urged the people to continue to support the command and other security agencies in the state with timely information for swift action against all forms of crime and criminality.

    Sadiq-Aliyu expressed the commissioner’s commitment to ensuring a safer Katsina state.

  • Coalition cautions FG over recommendation to relocate Katsina aviation project

    Coalition cautions FG over recommendation to relocate Katsina aviation project

    A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has expressed concern over alleged plans by the Federal Government to relocate an ongoing project at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua International Airport (UMYIA) Katsina to another part of the country.

    Mr Bishir Dauda, the National Secretary of Voice of the Masses, expressed the decision while addressing newsmen in Katsina on Sunday.

    Dauda said the civil society organisations took the decision as “unfortunate, deliberate, malicious and subversive attempt by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo.

    Such efforts to relocate a project from Umaru Musa Yar’adua International Airport, Katsina to other part of the country was on baseless and preposterous excuses, the CSOs said.

    The project, awarded to Avsatel Communication Limited on Dec 7, 2022, was to refurbish Airport Rescue and Firefighting Vehicles (ARFF) of the Umaru Musa Yar’adua International Airport, Katsina.

    “It is important to note that this contract was awarded, with down payment, during the last administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He noted that the gigantic project would have tremendous economic benefits to the state and Nigeria as a whole.

    “Hence, these organisations consider the harmful and retrogressive action of relocating this vital project from Katsina to another part of the country for a flimsy reason, as an attempt to shortchange the good people of Katsina state, who massively voted for the President.

    “At least If we don’t deserve any reward for voting APC into power, we should not be punished by Keyamo who did not contribute in mobilising hundreds of thousands of Katsina people to vote for Tinubu.

    “We the people of Katsina state cherish the international airport because it is very strategic in actualising the development dreams of our forefathers.”

    “We will not also take any attempt to undermine it lightly. What is good for the goose is good for the gander . If Lagos, Bayelsa or Enugu states need a world class airport then why not Katsina state?

    He, therefore, called on Gov. Dikko Radda, Katsina elders, and all patriotic sons and daughters of Katsina to further convey our message to the president, the outright rejection of the decision.

     

    According to him, “the decision of the minister is meant to retard the development of the state, therefore, we anticipate that the president, as a listening leader, will do the needful by reversing the subversive action of his minister”.

     

    The coalition expressed the belief that the president would direct the contractor to expedite action on the project or revoke the contract and re-award it to another firm that had the zeal and capacity to execute it.

     

    The convener of the CSOs, Muhammad Danjuma-Katsina noted that government was a continuous process, coupled with the fact that Tinubu had repeatedly promised to complete projects started by his predecessor.

     

    According to him, the minister and the contractors seem to have a different agenda.

     

    The CSOs include the Katsina Youth Enlightenment Crusade for Peace and Development, the Citizens Participation Against Corruption Initiative, the Voice of the Masses and the National Council of Women Society.

    Contractors handling the project, AVSATEL Communication Ltd, initiated the move for the relocation in a memo to the minister dated Dec. 4, 2023.

     

    The letter, signed by Mr George Eder, the Managing Director (MD) of the company, proposed moving the project away from Katsina to Abuja or any Southern part of the country for some logistic reasons.

    “While we wholeheartedly accept the award and the corresponding agreement, we would like to propose considering the relocation of the project site.

    “Our proposal is based on practical considerations to ensure economic viability and long-lasting success,” the MD said.

    According to him, the proposal is based on transportation logistics, personnel and training, strategic independence, synergies and financial considerations, exports and utilisation of Katsina site, and other considerations.

    “We believe that relocating the project to the South or the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) offers a promising future. We are prepared to address any questions and appreciate your consideration of this proposal,” he said.

     

  • Philanthropist distributes free JAMB forms in Katsina

    Philanthropist distributes free JAMB forms in Katsina

    A Katsina based philanthropist and stalwart of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Tukur Tingilin, has distributed 300 JAMB forms to indigent candidates in Malumfashi and Kafur Local Government Areas of the state.

    Tingilin, who also sponsored 50 students for the National Examination Council (NECO), made this known in an interview in Katsina on Monday.

    Tingilin, who is the Managing Director of the Katsina State Water Board Corporation, said the gesture was aimed at promoting scholarship by making the beneficiaries become productive members of the society.

    “The gesture is to also to complement the effort of the state government in education, and also prepare the youths to compete with others across the globe.

    “Apart from the JAMB forms, we have organised training for them, especially on computer literacy which exposed them to computer based examinations.

    “We have put the necessary measures to ensure that they passed the examination and also secure admission in various universities of their choice,” he said.

    “Those that cannot afford to pay their school fees after securing the admission, we would pay for them.

    “By next year, through the support of Gov. Dikko Radda, we are hoping to pay for more students that performed better in public examinations,” Tingilin said.

    The philanthropist also disbursed N5,000 each to 975 under privileged residents of the areas, and provided blankets to Almajiris across some selected Tsangaya (Islamiya) schools in the area.

    According to him, the gesture is initiated by Zanna Foundation, in collaboration with Ash-Shifa Social Development and Health Awareness Group, aimed at promoting self sustainability.

    On his part, Gov. Dikko Radda lauded the groups, describing the intervention as a welcome development, because it is one of the areas his administration has prioritised.

    Radda explained that with such initiatives, the APC does not need to go for any campaign during future elections in the state.

    He therefore challenged other politicians in the state to emulate such gestures to earn more support from their people.