Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has declared that 99 percent of bandits terrorizing Katsina are based in Zamfara State.
The governor made the disclosure while speaking with The Nation, shortly after inspecting a land earmarked for an Airstrip by the Nigerian Air Force, in Funtua Local Government Area of the state.
According to him, three major local Government Areas of Sabwa, Dandume and Faskari sharing common boundaries with Zamfara, have now turned into an epicenter for banditry activities.
The Governor further insisted that the bandits usually kill, kidnap and rape innocent Katsina citizens before moving to their enclaves in adjoining forests of Zamfara State,
The governor added that the bandits must be eliminated by security personnel before peace would be restored in the state.
He said: “The nefarious activities of bandits from Zamfara had truncated the efforts of my administration in restoring normalcy in the state.
“The only places that we are having problems are Faskari, Sabwa, and Dandume Local Governments but all other local governments in the state, especially Jibia, Batsari, Safana and Danmusa there is relative peace.
“From the reports, I receive every morning if you find any case of rustling or kidnapping is mostly around Faskari, Sabwa, and Dandume.
“We have been complaining to the military authority to take full control of Gurbi-Gidan Jaja-Kaura Namoda areas of Zamfara State.
“Unless security is fully reinforced in these areas, being the danger zone where most of the bandits live and move freely, we cannot secure Katsina without security in Zamfara, because 99 percent of all the attacks and kidnappings happening in Katsina were from Zamfara.”
