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The Governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda, has claimed that bandits could no longer access some communities in the state due to the efforts of the locals to protect themselves against attacks.
Radda disclosed this in an interview with BBC Hausa Service, where he highlighted his administration's efforts to train locals to defend themselves against bandits' attacks before any intervention from the security agents.
He said the measure is paying off as many communities are now inaccessible to the bandits.
While maintaining his stance that the number of security operatives in Nigeria isn't sufficient, the Governor noted the people need to defend themselves and augment the efforts of the conventional security agencies.
“We are not saying people should take weapons…no, what we are saying is that the security operatives we have in Nigeria are inadequate, and cannot defend all the citizens.
“What we are calling on people to do is to give us their youth so that we will train them and give them something they can start using to defend themselves before any intervention from the security operatives. And this initiative has started paying off, because there are many communities now that are not accessible by these people (bandits), and this is a result of the measures taken by the locals.
“It is unfortunate how three or four boys (bandits) with a gun or two could wreak havoc in a community of say 500 or 1,000 or 2,000 people,” he said.
Radda says the government hasn't failed to protect the people
On whether the call for the people to resort to self-defence against armed bandits was a sign of the government's failure to resolve the insecurity problem in the state, the Governor said the idea became an option due to the inadequate number of security forces to protect all citizens at a time.
“This is what we have been saying for long. The security operatives in Nigeria are not enough to provide the needed security to all people.
“This is the reason why we established ‘Katsina Community Watch’ after I assumed office. We recruited youth, trained them and handed over operational equipment to them so that they can complement the efforts of the security agencies,” he added.
He also addressed the allegation of extrajudicial operations of the local security corps, arguing that there are laws guiding their operations.
“We have laws which guide their operations. So all their operations are guided by laws. But where there are reports of any extrajudicial operation, we make sure it is investigated. Now as we speak, there is a case of one of them who is going to be charged to court over some offence. In this fight, you are fighting bandit and he is fighting back,” Radda stated.