Masari: Only 30 police officers providing security for 100 villages in Katsina

Aminu Masari, Katsina governor, says only 30 police officers provide security for 100 villages in the state.

Speaking at a luncheon to mark Eid-El-Kabir with troops on the frontline, Masari said the number of  the police officers is inadequate to cover the villages in the state.

The governor said his administration is working to amend laws of the state to give power to local authorities to curb the activities of  bandits.

He said the hoodlums have blended in so much with the local communities that it is hard to differentiate them from the locals.

“This would complement ongoing efforts to emplace a robust community policing structure, whilst addressing the gross deficit in the number of police personnel available at local levels, which is in the range of an average of about 30 policemen to about 100 villages,” the former house of representatives speaker said.

“Even if the bandits were wiped out by the military, another generation of criminal elements would quickly take their place in the absence of governance and adequate policing.

“The bandits are intertwined within the communities so sometimes it may be difficult for the NAF or the army to distinguish them from the locals in order to conduct offensive operations devoid of collateral damage.

“The locals must stop giving support, information or safe havens to these criminals.”

On his part, Sadique Abubakar, chief of air staff, said unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be deployed in Katsina and Zamfara states to curb the activities of the bandits.