The Katsina State Commissioner for Internal Security, Nasir Muazu, on Thursday explained why fighting banditry and kidnappings for ransom, as well as other criminal elements, remained unabated in the state.
He made this known while briefing newsmen shortly after a joint security meeting at Government House, Katsina.
According to him, investigations have revealed that some dishonest individuals in communities are providing services to hoodlums for economic gain.
He said, “They sell items such as fuel to the hoodlums for N5,000 per litre while a bottle of soft drink goes for about N3,000”.
Mu’azu stated that, with sufficient manpower in the security forces, insecurity would have been a thing of the past.
However, he attributed the prevalence of banditry and kidnapping in the state to the activities of bandits’ informants, who constitute about 80 percent of the problem.
“Why I said this, these bandits do not know where to buy all these things from, but some members of the communities who own shops sell their products to them at exorbitant prices, making. It is difficult to get their cooperation in a bid to address the security challenge.
“In one of the communities affected by insecurity, a man was found to be selling a bottle of soft drink for N3,000, and another sold fuel for N5,000 per litre to bandits.
“Drugs that are usually sold for little amounts of money in pharmacies and other shops are sold in the millions of Naira by community members to the bandits,” he explained.
He also lamented that some members of the communities also connive with bandits to abduct residents.
“In one of the cases we had, we found a man who connived with bandits to abduct his biological father, who was diabetic, for ransom.
“When the bandits took him to their hideout in the forest, they had already procured diabetic medication for his daily consumption.
“The total sum of N30 million was paid as ransom for the man, and N8 million was given to the son of the kidnapped man for compromising by allowing his father to be abducted.
“The informants are known to alert bandits whenever Nigeria Air Force jets leave the airport for an air strikes bandits’ hideouts, leading to unsuccessful missions,” Nasir said.
The commissioner, however, noted that the government has recorded significant success in the fight against insecurity in some local government areas through kinetic measures.
“However, non-kinetic measures are also important to ensure a lasting end to the insecurity,” he explained further.
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