Police arrest 69 cattle rustlers, bandits in Kano

Rice farmers seek state govt support 
THE Kano State Police Command yesterday said it had arrested 69 cattle rustlers and other notorious armed robbers in the last one month.

The state Police Commissioner, Mr. Muhammad Katsina, disclosed this when he visited Gidan-Kare village in Sumaila Local Council.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the village had been deserted by residents due to incessant attacks by armed bandits.
NAN also reports that the police commissioner was in the village to assess the security situation and map out strategies to rid the area of the menace.

Katsina said that out of the number arrested, 46 suspects were among the most wanted armed bandits in the area, while the remaining 23 suspects were arrested for cattle rustling.

According to him, the police have also recovered 20 goats and sheep, 31 rifles and pistols, 240 cartridges of ammunition and 68 cattle, out of which 30 had been returned to their owners.
Katsina also said that the police had apprehended a notorious leader of an armed robbery gang popularly known as Datti Rodi in Gani village.
“The gang leader has about 200 members who have been terrorizing the community for a long time,” he alleged.

He said that the suspects were cooperating with the police in their investigations and that they would soon be charged to court.
The police chief attributed the successes recorded within one month to the resilience of his men and the continuous onslaught on the hoodlums.

The commissioner called on those who fled their villages due to the activities of armed bandits to return as the command had put in place measures to ensure safety of their lives and property.

He said that the command would soon deploy more policemen to the villages to enhance security.
“By our intervention, the deserted villages of Karasa, Murmushi, Gomo, Burum-burum, Gani, Masu, Sitti and other surrounding villages have now been secured. This has encouraged the people to return to their respective villages,” the commissioner said.

Meanwhile, in line with the present administration’s resolve to resuscitate the agric sector, the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) Kano branch has called on the state government to support farmers in the state.

The call was made by the head of RIFAN, Abubakar Haruna Aliyu, who is also the Chief Executive of ABH Agro Allied Ventures, in a media briefing at his office in Kano at the weekend.
“The government of Kano under the present administration should redouble its effort in the area of agriculture, so that we can have more coordinated development in the sector,” Aliyu said.

According to him, Kano was the leading state in agricultural produce in the North West region, the area leading other regions in the country in the agric sector. But because of neglect that position has been lost,” he stated.

On rice production, Aliyu said Kebbi State has taken over from Kano as leading producer due to intervention of Kebbi State government in rice farming.
“The government of Kebbi State gave over N3 billion to rice farmers to boost their production. You cannot compare Kebbi and Kano now in rice production. We can only change that if our state government can replicate what Kebbi State government did,” he stated.
He further added that the government should intervene in all the three stages of rice farming, which are production, processing and marketing.