Kankara Kidnap : Buhari Under Attack for Scoring Gov Masari High
Nasir Sambo
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- 9 minutes read
By Mike Odeh James and Bashir Bala Katsina State in North West Nigeria is one of the deadliest states to live in. It is a state that is blessed with agriculturally fertile soil and human capacity to power industrial and agricultural revolution in the country. Katsina has also produced a military Head of State in 1983-1985; it produced the powerful Chief of Arny Staff, General Hassan Usman Katsina. The then deputy to General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1975-1979 was a Katsina prince, Major General Shehu Musa Yar Adua. Nigeria’s second civilian President in this democratic dispensation was also a Katsina Prince, the late Umar Musa Yar Adua, even as the incumbent President of Nigeria is Muhammad Buhari, who hails from Dauda in Katsina State. Muhammad Buhari also had the privilege of being Nigeria’s military Head of State in 1983-1984. By all means, Katsina State is supposed to be one of the most economically and industrially developed state in Nigeria but in contrast it is one of the poorest in the federation. The state is grasping for life as it is currently being confronted with banditry, kidnapping and Fulani Herders/ Farmers clashes. Above all the state is also facing allegations of humungous corruption at the top which makes it difficult to confront and fight the insecurity bedeviling the state. On Friday, 11 December 2020, armed bandits riding on motorcycles invaded Kankara village and attacked Government Science Secondary School located nearby and carted away over 500 boys. It took almost seven days before the boys regained their freedom. However, details of how their freedom was obtained were not yet disclosed but the State Government had earlier given an indication that it was in talk with the abductors. The Kankara kidnap as it came to be known is the biggest case of kidnapping or abduction in the history of Nigeria with about 500 boys kidnapped in one single operation. The state under the Governor Aminu Masari has a history of kidnappings, killings and looting by bandits. On 18 April 2020, about 47 persons were slaughtered by bandits in villages and in July of that same year, bandits ambushed and killed 23 Nigerian soldiers who were on patrol. In the same month of July, 11 persons were killed in Kankara and Danmusa Local Government Areas of Katsina State as bandits struck in various communities in the councils. This year alone, over 2,000 people have been killed, 500 communities destroyed and over 33,000 people displaced, a 2020 report by the West Africa Network for Peace building said. According to Yemi Adebowale, a newspaper columnist, “The killings by the so-called bandits will persist for a very long time if political leaders and security agents continue to act in support of a faction. “This is largely a war between Fulani herders and Hausa farmers, over grazing land. The bandits are Fulani militias who fight for the herders that want unfettered access to farm lands. “Herders often call the militias when they suffer casualties. The Hausa farmers also have their militia called Yan Sakai. “They retaliate for the Hausa farmers when their farmlands are destroyed and farmers killed. It is one big mess compounded by politicians and security agents that have refused to act impassively. Adebowale further explains, “The conflict was minimal prior to Buhari’s emergence as President. But immediately he became President, the Fulani herders were bolstered, because “our brother is now in charge,” and the drive for unencumbered access to farm lands assumed a frightening dimension, Adebowale said. The columnist further singled out Governor Aminu Masari’s style of governance as a catalyst for the continued bloodletting, kidnapping and banditry in the state. Few months, DESERT HERALD published the petition written by a Kaduna based activist, Mahdii Shehu, in which Governor Masari and his Secretary to the State Government, Mustapha Inuwa, were said to have misappropriated over N52 billion in the name security votes. Mahdi listed how monies meant for fighting insurgency, banditry and other forms of insecurity were frittered away the Governor since 2015. Unsurprisingly, the State Government denied the allegations and few months later, the whistle blower was arrested in a commando style operation by the Inspector General of Police at the instance of the Katsina State Governor. Mahdi was however released after media uproar and threats by Campaign For Democracy led by Abdul Bako to embark on street protests. Not long after Mahdi’s release from detention, the bandits struck, they caught the state and security agencies napping, and in what is now known as Nigeria’s biggest abduction, the bandits made away with 500 students. IS MAHDI VINDICATED? Speaking on ChannelsTv after the kidnap of the school boys, Mahdi shed more light on why the insecurity in Katsina State is quite peculiar with the Governor being the culprit. He explained that Governor Masari chose to concentrate security management in the hands of his SSG, Mustapha Inuwa, who lacks knowledge of security issues. The activist had this to say: “There is a linear relationship, direct, indirect and tangential between lying and cheating. Whoever lies must cheat. There is also a linear relationship between incompetency, inaptitude and unprofessionalism. The issue of security I’ll say is something professional and fundamental. He further added that “In Katsina state, the entire Security management is deposited in wholesale and in retail in the office of the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Mustapha Inuwa, who has no training in security matters, who has no experience in security management, who is not in any way related to security issues other than he has been involved by force into managing security for the past five years”. He went in to say: “In Katsina State today, we have over sixteen retired generals of the Army, Air Force, NIA, DSS, Police and Civil Defence all of these persons are trained, competent, qualified and idle because they are doing nothing now. “They were never consulted on the issues security management in the state. The activist is of the opinion that if these leaders were consulted, they would have made useful information that would help contain the situation. “ Mahdi went a step ahead and called on Governor Bello Masari to resign in view of the Kankara incidence in order to allow for a more competent person to steer the affairs of the state. He also urged President Buhari to intervene as a matter of urgency by imposing a State of Emergency on the state with a view of saving lives. “Seven days ago, I sent a message to Mr President. Mr. President , when you went to Katsina and raised the hand of Masari and demand that he should be elected, it was your industry experience that we looked at, we looked at your own age and believed that on your own, you would not pick an incompetent person give us. We respected your age and voted for him. Now that there are clear indications that he has failed woefully, I ask Mr. President , that in the name of God, declare a State of Emergency in Katsina, get a serving, gallant military officer to preside over or get a retired military officer to preside over or in the alternative, constitute a committee comprising of retired security officers and responsible retired public servants to save Katsina from total collapse,” he added. On his own part, Comrade Abdul Bako of Campaign for Democracy, CD, who is also from Katsina state, condemned the Governor for being lackadaisical and lacking ways on how to tackle the growing insecurity in the state. Bako warned that the state cannot afford another round of bloodletting and kidnappings any more. “My candid advice to Governor Masari is stop negotiating with bandits, work with competent persons to put an end to insecurity. The Kankara kidnap saga took a turn for the worst when coalition of youths and other activists took to the streets to protest the kidnapping of 500 boys. Katsina had in the past witnessed several protests against banditry and government inaction. While President Buhari is celebrating Governor Masari for the ‘successful’ rescue of the Kankara boys, the people of Katsina have continued to indict their Governor for being inept and corrupt in the administration and management of security votes which they believed is the reason why the state and its citizens continued to suffer from insecurity, abuse and poverty. In Katsina today and under Mr. Masari farmers have technically been prevented from farming due to consistent threats from kidnappers and armed bandits. Poverty has ravaged virtually all homes and major sources of income like cows, foodstuffs etc have been taking away by bandits and yet there is no government intervention to alleviate their suffering. They lamented that Masari’s government is the worse in the history of the state and wondered why despite such glaring shortcomings and failure, their governor remains the best in the eyes of the President who ironically is a bonafide citizen of the troubled state.  ReplyForward |
