KATSINA, Nigeria – Families of seven police officers who were killed in northern Nigeria while fighting against terrorists – locally dubbed as bandits in the country – have been gifted ₦500,000 ($304.82) each, police in the north-western Katsina State said Thursday.
The token was provided by the Katsina State Government as a mark of honour and appreciation of the sacrifices made by the “fallen heroes”, ASP Sadiq Abubakar, spokesman of the Katsina State Police Command said in a statement.
During the ceremony held at the Katsina Police Command Headquarters, Deputy Commissioner of Police Administration, DCP Aminu Usman Gusau, presented the cash gifts to the families on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, CP Aliyu Abubakar Musa.
DCP Gusau, while expressing condolences to the grieving families, assured that the command will continue to stand in solidarity with them by acknowledging the selfless services rendered by the fallen officers.
The Command applauded Governor Dikko Radda–led administration for its commitment to the welfare of families of officers who have paid the supreme price in the ongoing fight against kidnapping and banditry in the north-western state.
The event was attended by officers of the command and family members of the fallen heroes.
– Insecurity and violence in Nigeria –
For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups.
Since the start of 2024 civilians have faced intensified violence across Nigeria, and near-daily attacks by armed groups resulting in kidnappings and other abuses against civilians.
Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.
In August, the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said insecurity in Nigeria is weaponised by politicians for political and selfish reasons.
A Nigerian soldier, Suleiman S., also alleged that the government’s practice of paying ransoms to terrorists – dubbed as bandits in the country was hindering the military’s ability to effectively combat them.
He urged the public to redirect their blame from the Nigerian Army to the government, emphasising that soldiers are constrained by orders and cannot take independent action.
The soldier said the military has the capability to eradicate bandits, particularly in hotspots like Zamfara State forest within a week if given the necessary orders.
He expressed frustration that the military’s potential is being wasted due to a lack of direction from leadership, whom he accused of profiting from the ongoing crisis.
He cited the assassination of a Sokoto State monarch, Alhaji Isa Muhammad Bawa as an example of a coordinated plan by certain individuals or groups to perpetuate insecurity.
Speaking when he appeared on Voice of The People FM, Sowore alleged that government officials have links with the criminals, using them to gain power and later protecting them.
He explained that this is why it is hard for the country to make any meaningful progress in the fight against terrorism and banditry.
($1 = 1,640.32 naira)