Overwhelmed, not knowing what to do over the incessant raiding of villages, abducting of children, women, killing and maiming of innocent people by bandits and believing that the security agents have been overstretched to a breakpoint in containing these entropies of insecurity in the state, the Katsina state government has called on residents to arm themselves and confront bandits, declaring to assist them in that regard.
Speaking during a media parley with journalists at the Muhammadu Buhari House in Katsina, Gov. Aminu Bello Masari said the number of security personnel was not enough to tackle the situation.
“It’s Islamically allowed for one to defend himself against attack. One must rise to defend himself, his family and assets. If you die while trying to defend yourself, you’ll be considered a martyr. It’s surprising how a bandit would own a gun while a good man trying to defend himself and his family doesn’t have one,” he said.
The governor further said the state government would help those who plan to own arms with the view to help bring an end to banditry.
“We’ll support those who come with the initiative to procure arms because residents need to also complement the efforts of security agencies. These people (security agents) don’t have the number to protect the people. When President Buhari came, he even tried by increasing the number of our security agents but it’s inadequate. Count it yourself, how many policemen do we have in this country? How many soldiers do we have?
“Even if we say every policeman should go back to his home state, it’ll still not be enough. So, if we fold arms and decide to do nothing, we’ll be the ones to suffer most,” he warned.
