Heavily-armed bandit legion from Zamfara instills panic as they move into Katsina
There is a palpable sense of uneasiness following reports that hundreds of bandits from Zamfara have relocated to areas near the Safana and Batsari Local Government Areas in Katsina State.
According to villagers, the criminals, led by the infamous bandit Dan-Karami, have fled from a military onslaught in Zamfara and have now moved into Tsaskiya, Runka, Gora, Labo, and other communities in the two local government areas.
The bandits have joined forces with another notorious bandit, Usman Moɗi-Moɗi, who has been terrorizing the residents of the area.
Witnesses have reported that the heavily armed bandits are moving in large numbers and have brought many herds of cattle with them.
A reliable source informed the News Agency of Nigeria that about a thousand of them, arriving on approximately 300 motorcycles, spent Saturday night in Labo village.
The terrorists have spread out across at least five villages on the fringes of Rugu Forest, spanning between Safana and Batsari, as well as parts of Zamfara.
However, it remains unclear whether the bandits are in transit or attempting to establish a new base in the area.
Local villagers are appealing to the military and the Katsina State Government to respond promptly and deny the terrorists any space to operate.
Dan-karami and his gang are notorious for raiding villages and towns in Zamfara, as well as attacking security personnel.
A community leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that some villagers have already started relocating to avoid being caught up in the impending disaster.
The leader urged the military to deploy both its land and air assets to decimate the terrorists before they wreak further havoc.
“If nothing is done immediately, these terrorists will pose a serious security threat to many surrounding local government areas, including the state capital,” he added.
“There are many of them, and they are heavily armed. The government should respond with decisive firepower to save the people.”
Likewise, a resident of Runka stated, “From last week, these bandits were seen clearing bushes to make shelters, which suggests they want to be here permanently. We heard that Dan-Karami came to Usman Modi-Modi some days ago, and Modi-Modi provided him with weapons. This indicates that they will work together to continue perpetrating their criminal activities in these areas. Dan-Karami also arrived with dangerous weapons. The locals have never seen bandits in such large numbers or with such sophisticated weaponry. They are expanding their base in the area.”
The resident urged the government and security agencies to take swift measures to prevent the terrorists from taking over the area.
When contacted, Ibrahim Ahmad-Katsina, Special Adviser on Security to Governor Aminu Masari, stated that only the security forces could comment on the matter.
The spokesman of the Police Command in the state, CSP Gambo Isah, confirmed that they are investigating the veracity of the information.
“There are rumours of the ongoing onslaught in the military operations and the police in Zamfara forcing some terrorists to relocate to parts of the state,” he said.
“Here in Katsina, the security forces, particularly the Army, Nigerian Air Force, and the Police, have taken note of this and are conducting investigations to ascertain its genuineness and take appropriate action.”