Governor Laments ,Says Just 32 Policemen With 5 Guns Are Assigned To Secure Local Council Area With 300 Villages
The governor explained that an entire local government area in Katsina is patrolled by just 32 police officers, with inadequate equipment to combat crime.
Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda has expressed concern over the rising insecurity in his state, blaming it on the critical shortage of Nigerian police personnel.
The governor explained that an entire local government area in Katsina is patrolled by just 32 police officers, with inadequate equipment to combat crime.
Speaking during an interview with DW Hausa, Governor Radda painted a grim picture of the security situation.
He disclosed that an LGA in the state, consisting of 10 wards and over 200 to 300 villages, is being inadequately served by police officers, with only nine guns available for use. Out of the nine firearms, just five are operational.
The governor criticised the severe lack of weapons and manpower as a major impediment to securing the state, which has been grappling with increasing banditry and violence.
“In a town in Katsina State, there is a local government with only 32 police officers and just nine firearms, of which only five are functional.
“With ten wards and communities numbering between 200 and 300, it is difficult to understand how 32 police officers can provide adequate protection to all of them simultaneously,” he said.
He emphasized the need for urgent action to strengthen the capacity of the police force in order to protect lives and property effectively.
Last week, SaharaReporters reported that Radda called on citizens to actively resist bandits and protect their communities.
In a recent video clip, Radda highlighted the disparity between the actual firepower of bandits and the fear they instigate among locals.
He stated, “If you check all the bandits in Katsina State, you will hardly find 700 guns in their possession. But the residents will hear and watch the malnourished bandits chasing away over 1,000 residents and people will run and hide under their beds.”
The governor expressed dismay at the thought of such intrusions, asserting, “Nothing is more painful than seeing someone having sexual intercourse with your daughter in your presence.”
He also urged communities to be proactive in their defence.
“Any village where the bandits know that they are well prepared and can protect their community against bandit invasion, the bandits will always pass without attacking,” Radda noted.
He encouraged citizens to confront bandits courageously: “Anytime or whenever 10 bandits attack a community and the locals come out in their hundreds, if they kill three people, the community should be able to arrest whoever survives.”
Radda dismissed bandits as “liars” who are more afraid of death than the locals.
He concluded, “Their aim is to scare people; why should we allow them to scare us for nothing?”
“I swear to God almighty it is a responsibility of the clerics to educate the general public on the teachings of the prophet of God Peace and Blessing of God be with Him about who want to forcefully seize your property, that of your loved ones or someone close to you.
“What did the prophet of God teach? He said do not give them. And he asked the prophet what if he killed me, he said he believed in God and if I killed him, he would go to hellfire.
“Nothing is more painful than seeing someone having sexual intercourse with your daughter in your presence. There are some embarrassments that are better if you die than experience it.
“Any village where the bandits know that they are well prepared and can protect their community against bandit invasion, they will always pass when they are around the axis without attacking the locals.
“We have to stand up and be a man to protect ourselves. Anytime or whenever 10 bandits attack a community and the locals come out in their hundreds, if they kill three people, the community should be able to arrest whoever the person is.
“They are liars, they are more afraid of death than us. Their (bandits) aim is to scare people, why will we allow them to scare us for nothing?”
In an interview with DW Hausa, the Governor of Katsina State revealed a shocking fact: an entire local government area in his state is policed by just 32 officers. This LGA comprises 10 wards and over 200 villages. Among these 32 officers, there are only nine guns, and just five… pic.twitter.com/sApvbETGU0
— Bulama Bukarti (@bulamabukarti) September 10, 2024
