Katsina blames locals for escalating insecurity

Police personnel have been battling to calm rising tension over the death of two teenagers in Okekwu Village near Ogbogbo in Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi state.

The teenage girls identified as Ajuma Simon, 17, and Omojo Shuaibu, 18, were said to have been killed in an ambush by suspected armed bandits.  The Guardian learnt that the victims were returning from a local market at about 7.00 p.m. on Wednesday when they were attacked about two kilometres from Okekwu. 

A local, Yahaya Edibo, said: “I know the girls. One of the victims, Omojo Shuaibu, was my ex-student at the UEC Secondary School, Ogbogbo; a very brilliant and dedicated assistant head girl. These wicked, evil people just cut off their lives at their prime.” 

According to the community source, the local security and the youths mobilised to the scene and evacuated the bodies yesterday morning. Their remains have been deposited at a morgue in Idah, Idah local government, he added.

In a related development, the Katsina State Government has lamented the continued security challenges bedevilling parts of the state, saying communities and informants were responsible for 80 per cent of the menace.
   
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Muazu, said some community members who own shops were in the habit of selling to bandits at exorbitant prices, making it difficult to get their cooperation in the bid to address the security challenge. 
 
He said: “In one of the communities affected by insecurity, a man was found to be selling a bottle of Coca-Cola for N3,000; another sold fuel for N5,000 per litre to bandits. 
   
“Hard drugs that are usually sold for little amounts of money at pharmacies and other related centres are sold to the bandits for millions of naira by community members.”

The commissioner added that some locals often connive with bandits to abduct hapless victims, including family members.
   
“In another case, we found a man who connived with bandits to abduct his biological father, who was diabetic. When the bandits brought him to their hideout, they had already bought him diabetic tablets for his daily consumption,” he added.