•Buni tasks NAF on increased aerial surveillance

Daredevil terrorists have attacked another Maulud procession in Katsina State, killing one person and injuring many others.

The incident, which occurred yesterday early morning at Zagami village in Faskari Local Council of the state, also saw several people abducted by the terrorists.

A source, who asked not to be named, said many residents of the community had gathered at an open space and started the Maulud procession without hitches.

He said the procession was peaceful until past midnight when they suddenly heard gunshots from several directions.

“Most of us ran for our dear lives, and several people were unfortunate to sustain injuries while trying to escape.

“One person was killed while several others sustained gunshot wounds. The bandits abducted several people but I’m not sure of their number,” he said.

It was gathered that among those kidnapped were women, children and a Muslim cleric from Ghana who had come to participate in the procession.

At time of filing this report, spokesperson for the Katsina State Police Command, ASP Abubakar Aliyu, was yet to respond to The Guardian’s inquiry about the incident.

Meanwhile, Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has tasked the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on increasing aerial surveillance to fight Boko Haram terrorists operating in his state.

Buni, in a statement by his spokesman, Mamman Mohammed, yesterday, in Damaturu, urged the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshall Hassan Abubakar, to sustain aerial surveillance on terrorists’ hideouts and camps in the river basins and border areas.

Mohammed said that the governor’s visit to the CAS was to discuss areas of improvement on sustained aerial surveillance to protect lives and property in the areas occupied by the terrorists.

“The recent attacks on soft targets in the border areas of the state calls for improved surveillance,” the governor said.

He added that the state shares local and international borders with some Nigerian states and Niger Republic, stressing that this makes aerial surveillance inevitable to improve security of lives and property, especially along the Kumadugu/Yobe riverbanks and border areas with Niger Republic.

Buni lamented terrorists’ recent infiltrations of the border communities resulting in the loss of many lives and property.

He listed the affected communities to include Geidam, Yusufari and Yunusari, including the fisher-folk’s settlements along the riverbanks.

He, therefore, assured of the readiness of his administration to partner with the security agencies to fortify the state and deal with any possible threats.

Responding, Abubakar promised the governor that the NAF was committed to safeguarding the lives and property of every Nigerian.

According to him, NAF has upscaled its operations in the state and the North East in general to improve security in the region.

He, therefore, called on the people to cooperate with security operatives for collective and pragmatic approaches to overcome security challenges in communities. (The Guardian)

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