Following security measures enforced by governors, Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has stated that the “table is turning” against criminals in Katsina and other North-West states.
He also stated that the military, which had increased its aggressive approach, supported the security measures.
During a media visit to Katsina State on Tuesday, he stated,
“We are here to get first-hand information on the great efforts of the Katsina State government and other affected states in the North-west to combat the menace of banditry and sundry crimes,” the minister stated in a copy of his speech obtained by our correspondent.
“There is no doubt that the table is turning against the bandits since Katsina and other affected states came up with several novel measures that got the bandits boxed in, and the military stepped up its kinetic approach.
“Unfortunately, these positive efforts have not received the kind of media attention given to the banditry. We believe these efforts should be trumpeted, not just for the sake of trumpeting it, but as a way of encouraging the states involved, the security agencies that have been risking it all to ensure that we are all safe and the federal government that has done so much, especially in the procurement of platforms, to put the military and other security agencies in better stead to tackle not just banditry and kidnapping but also terrorism.”
Large numbers of troops, accompanied by fighter jets, launched an offensive in Zamfara State in early September against gunmen blamed for a wave of mass kidnappings and attacks in the northwest.
The onslaught in Zamfara, which includes an official telecoms blackout, is the most recent operation against bandits who have raided communities and abducted for ransom for years.
To cut off supplies to bandits, Zamfara and other states enacted a slew of restrictions, including a prohibition on the sale of gasoline in jerry cans, restrictions on livestock transportation, and restrictions on the opening hours of local markets.
Residents of villages in neighboring Katsina and Kaduna states reported an inflow of gunmen from Zamfara into other communities as pressure mounted in Zamfara, prompting fears of attacks.
According to reports, Zamfara bandits have run out of food and are requesting food as ransom from captive families instead of the cash they regularly demand.
On the border with Zamfara, authorities in Katsina have likewise disrupted telecom communications in nearly half of the state’s 34 districts. On Sunday, Sokoto State followed suit, suspending mobile service in some regions.
The telecommunications blackout is intended to impede communications between bandits and their informants, allowing army movements to remain hidden.
The blackout, however, makes it difficult for people to warn security forces, according to Bawa, who traveled 120 kilometers (75 miles) to the state capital of Katsina to make calls.
