Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Katsina State yesterday, burning tires and raining abuses on bandits who attacked their communities.
The protesters, mostly from Maiturare and Dogon Ruwa villages in Dutsima Council, blocked the highway linking Katsina and Zaria town, demanding an end to the attacks.
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Some of them reportedly called for the resignation of their kinsmen, President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Aminu Masari, both of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for “failure” to nip the attacks in the bud.
A witness said the protesters complained about attacks by bandits in some communities in the area, which led to a loss of lives.
They lamented that their cattle and other domestic animals were frequently rustled, while their women were raped and others kidnapped for ransom.
This is even as several people were feared killed by bandits in the council’s hinterland, which led to an exodus to the headquarters.
Witnesses saw some of the ‘internal refugees’ at Maiturare and Dogon Ruwa communities.
The incident was said to have disrupted activities at the Federal University, Dutsinma, whose permanent site is at Maiturare.
An employee of the university, Aliyu Dalha, said reports reached them that bandits were attacking villages around the campus the previous day.
Earlier in the week, bandits had raided Garwa village in Batsari Council, killing the youth leader of APC in the Yau-Yau/Mallamawa ward.
This year alone, more than 170 people, including women and children, have reportedly lost their lives, with double that number kidnapped for ransom.
Masari, who met with Buhari Wednesday in Abuja, had reportedly told State House correspondents that states in the North West would not allow banditry to escalate to Boko Haram level.
A spokesperson for the police command in the state, SP Gambo Isah, is yet to respond to an inquiry on the issue at press time.
