The Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, 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.

Radda, 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.

He said: “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 added 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 coexistence in their communities, warning that those who refused to embrace peace will not leave to witness next year.

Radda said his administration had expended the sum of N1.5 billion on procurement of tactical combat equipment for the Katsina State Community Watch Corps and 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.

Radda 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 ongoing war against insecurity.

He said the state government had inaugurated a committee on encroached cattle routes and grazing reserves to checkmate farmer-herder conflict and a joint security operations communication centre to improve intelligence gathering.

He added that: “We have recorded much success in the fight against insecurity, and I will summarise a few of them. We have drastically reduced the areas colonised by bandits and returned many communities to normalcy.

“565 kidnapped victims have been rescued and reunited with their families. Thirty-five armed bandits have been neutralised by law enforcement, over 300 assorted arms, and over 1,000 ammunitions have been recovered.

“We have also recovered motorcycles, vehicles and a J5 bus from bandits during operations. This is in addition to many we have destroyed as we proactively dismantle this axis of evil. We have also arrested 363 bandits and subjected them to our fair judicial system,” he said. (THISDAY)

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