Katsina state governor, Aminu Bello Masari has urged residents of the state to take up weapons and defend themselves whenever they are attacked by bandits.
The Governor said this during his visit to Jibia town to commiserate with the families of those killed by the reckless driving of Customs service operatives.
His statement was disclosed by his media aide, Abdu Labaran Malumfashi on Tuesday.
“Governor Aminu Bello Masari of Katsina State has called on the people in the areas prone to the activities of bandits to acquire weapons and defend themselves against the bandits.
“The Governor said it was morally wrong for people to submit meekly to the bandits without any attempt to defend themselves, noting that security is everybody’s business.
“According to him, it is the people’s meek submission that emboldens the bandits to continue with their heinous activities with murderous frequency, adding that people must divorce their mind from the mistaken notion that security is government’s sole responsibility.
“Governor Masari stated this in Jibia town Tuesday, when he visited to condole with the people over the death of ten people, crushed on Monday by the operative of the Nigerian Customs Service who was driving an official vehicle with reckless abandon.
“He assured the people that government was perusing all the necessary legal steps to seek redress for the families of the deceased, as well as those who sustained various degrees of injuries.
“He added that legal experts had already been consulted to advise on the way forward to ensure speedy (legal) resolution of the matter.
“The Governor however, cautioned the families of the victims not to succumb to any covert enticement from the Nigerian Customs Service, saying that doing so will compromise and jeopardise the government’s efforts to secure justice for the bereaved and injured.
“What Customs operatives are doing is wrong, and therefore unacceptable.
“Do not succumb to any covert enticement from the customs service, no matter what they offer or promise to do for you.
“Whatever they want to do for you, let it be in the open, not in secret.
“If you accept any secret offer, then you will be truncating government’s efforts to seek justice for you, but if you resist any untoward move, the organisation will then have to rethink its attitude towards its host community.
