Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, has called on government at all levels to improve the level of security across Nigeria.
Atiku made this call on Tuesday while reacting to the reports of the recent attack on Yargoje village in Kankara LGA of Katsina State, which claimed scores of lives and the kidnap of vulnerable women as well as children.
“It is also sad that the bandits ambushed the police armoured personnel carrier responding to the distress call at Gidan Tofa and Dan Nakwabo villages, killing four police officers and two members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps,” Atiku wrote on X.
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“Most worrisome to me is that these acts of banditry and terrorism have become routine, with the government seemingly helpless and nonchalant about it despite the enormous annual budget for defence.”
While the former VP sympathises with the families of the victims, he has called on the government to be alive to its responsibility of protecting the lives and property of the citizens.
The Katsina State police command recently confirmed the killing of about 20 people, four police officers and two operatives of the state-owned Community Watch Corps by some suspected bandits.
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The command’s spokesman, ASP Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, made the disclosure in a statement in Katsina on Monday.
According to Sadiq-Aliyu, the attack occurred on Sunday at Gidan Tofa and Dan Nakwabo villages in the Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina state.
“On June 9, 2024, bandits in their numbers, armed with dangerous weapons, attacked the villages, shot and killed 20 people, injured two, and ambushed our armoured personnel carrier patrol team,” he said.
“The team was responding to the distress call, killing four police officers and two members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps.
“The fact of the case is that on the same date, a distress call was received at the Kankara Divisional Headquarters.
”That bandits in their numbers, riding on motorcycles, armed with dangerous weapons, shooting indiscriminately, attacked Gidan Baki village, Kankara LGA, killing unsuspecting villagers.”
The Katsina Police spokesman stated that immediately, the nearest APC patrol team was dispatched to the scene.
While en route to the village, the team, however, discovered that the attack was actually on Gidan Boka village via Yar Goje village, all in Kankara.
The team quickly redirected towards the scene but upon reaching Kurmeji village via Yar goje, they fell into an ambush, where a gun duel ensued between them and the bandits.
