Katsina State governor, Dikko Umaru Ra??a, has revealed that cattle rustling and kidnappings are multi-billion naira criminal enterprises that prey on vulnerable youth and women to effectuate atrocities on rural communities in the State.
Ra??a, in a State-wide broadcast to mark his first anniversary in office, lamented that insecurity has become a business that negatively affected the socio-economic development of the State and its citizenry.
According to him, “Insecurity has become a business; and I am afraid it means more must be done to fight it. Cattle-rustling and kidnappings are multi-billion naira criminal enterprises that prey on our most vulnerable youth and women to perpetuate unimaginable atrocities on rural communities”.
He lamented that the people of the State have suffered injustice and indignity for too long at the hands of the hoodlums, adding that his Government will not relent in its drive to combat the security challenges in order to restore normalcy in the State.
The Governor called on terrorists and other criminal elements to sheath their swords and embrace peaceful co-existence in their communities, warning that those who refused to embrace peace will not live to witness next year.
Ra??a further said his administration had expended the sum of N1.5 billion on procurement of tactical combat equipment for the Katsina State Community Watch Corps as well as sustained monthly payment of security operation allowances to the tune of N208 million.
He said the State government also purchased 10 units of armoured personnel carriers, 65 Hilux vehicles, 700 motorcycles, surveillance drones, communication network, trackers and other security gadgets worth N11 billion.
Ra??a explained that his administration has engaged 918 local government security committee members and 9,747 ward security committee members, in accordance with its strategy for community-participation in the on-going war against insecurity.
According to him, the state government had inaugurated a committee on encroached cattle routes and grazing reserves in order to checkmate farmer-herder conflict as well as a joint security operations communication centre to improve-intelligence-gathering.
