Governor Aminu Bello Masari will today, Saturday, in the night engage his counterpart in the Prefecture of Maradi, in the neighbouring Niger Republic, Alhaji Zakari Umaru, as part of his efforts to end banditry and kidnapping in Katsina state.
Governor Masari, whose delegation will include Secretary to the Government of the state, Dr. Mustafa Mohammed Inuwa, will lead three fellow Nigerian governors in the persons of Muhammadu Bello Matawallin Maradu, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Senator Atiku Bagudu of Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states, respectively.
The meeting will address the issue of cross border banditry and other forms of criminality.
This is coming in tandem with his ongoing reconciliation overtures with ‘commanders’ of the various disparate camps of the bandits who have turned eight of the 34 local government areas in the state their regular deadly assault targets. These assaults often result in multiple deaths and destruction of properties running into millions in worth.
These target local government areas are Dandume, Sabuwa, Faskari, Kankara, Danmusa, Safana, Batsari and Jibiya, all continuous to expansively famous Rugu forest. The Director General (Media) to Governor Masari, Abdu Labaran Malumfashi disclosed in a press statement.
Buoyed by the obvious success of the ongoing rapprochement with the local bandits, Governor Masari expressed confidence that the Maradi security talks would be no less successful, reinforcing the huge stride made in that respect in Katsina State.
The Prefecture of Maradi, who provides the window through which smuggled arms, ammunition, foreign insurgents and bandits often sneak into Nigeria, is border to the four North West states of Nigeria.