Ramadan and rural hunger
Mon Apr 19 2021
On the third day of the holy month of Ramadan, I visited my hometown of Malumfashi in Katsina State. I was happy to witness the early days of the fast there which brought back nostalgic memories of my childhood. However, my reveries were abruptly cut short by the myriad of women I have seen come to my mother in search of food. There was something eerily chilling about the pain in their eyes and the subsequent joy in receiving 5kg bags of maize or rice and pasta which my mother has arranged in polythene bags, ready to go. The same afternoon, I went to pay homage to the district head of Malumfashi, the Galadima of Katsina and I learned of a similarly dire situation whereby, after providing for a few dozens of these women in the first two days of the month with grains and other food items, the royal came home from the mosque only to meet a queue of over 60 more women in his palace. Their number was increasing at a rate that no ordinary food ban
Aminu-Bello-Masari
As Borno State is the hotbed of Boko Haram, Katsina is fast becoming the haven of the fusion of terrorist-bandits in North-west, writes Francis Sardauna
It is a well-known fact that the nefarious activities of bandits have turned Katsina State to a theatre of war considering the audacious fresh attacks they are launching on villages in Faskari, Kankara, Dutsin-Ma, Danmusa, Safana, Batsari, Sabuwa, Dandume, Jibia and Kurfi local government areas of the state.
It is more disturbing that the killings, abduction and other heinous crimes orchestrated by the bandits have become so bad that no part of the state is free from the grip of the hoodlums, whose devilish acts appear to be threatening social and economic activities in the state. Investigation by THISDAY revealed that the bandits operate from their hideouts in the massive and dreaded Rugu forest that cuts across Jibia, Safana, Danmusa, Batsari, Dandume, Sabuwa, Kankara and Faskari local government areas.
Vanguard News
Katsina: Troops kill 10 bandits, arrest collaborators
On
Nigeria army
The Defence Headquarters says Troops of Operation Sahel Sanity have eliminated 10 bandits, arrested their collaborators and informants as well as recovered cache of arms in different encounters in Katsina State.
The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Benard Onyeuko, in a statement on Tuesday, said the troops had increased momentum of operations against bandits in the North Western zone.
Onyeuko said the troops had on Jan. 2, laid ambush on the bandit’s route at Garin Garus following information that bandits were sighted crossing Garin Inu in Batsari Local Government Area of the state.
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, on Thursday, reacted to the abduction of students from Katsina State.
Ortom said the abduction of Government Science Secondary School in Kankara Local Government Area was an indication that nowhere is safe in Nigeria, NAN reports.
Recall that Boko Haram had last week abducted some students from Government Science Secondary School in Kankara Local Government of Katsina State.
The abduction occurred at a time when President Muhammadu Buhari was in his hometown, Daura on a private visit.
However, Ortom condemned the abduction of the students.
The governor spoke during his visit to the Maximum Security Custodian Centre, MSCC, in Makurdi, the state capital.