The governor also apologised for his administration’s inability to
protect the people.
The governor made the remarks when he visited Karewa and four other
villages in Igabi and Giwa local government where 51 villagers were
massacred by bandits in an early morning attack on Sunday.
NAN reports that four houses and six vehicles were destroyed in the
attack, while the villagers are still searching for their missing family
members.
“If not for the security agencies prompt intervention they would have
wiped out the entire villages.
“I also came to apologise for failure to protect you fully, we are doing
our best to minimise such incidents, you should continue to forgive us.
“But we are doing the best we can and we are hoping that this banditry
issue will be addressed because security personnel are on ground to
manage the situation.
“In Kaduna we have vast land, if the security close one area they attack
another area,” he lamented.
The governor told the villagers that he had asked the security agencies
to wipe out the bandits.
“It is our duty to wipe them out, and until we send them to their maker,
the security agencies are taking the war to the forest and we are
eliminating them, ” he said.
According to him, security operatives intervened shortly after the
attack, both on ground and in the air, and succeeded in wiping out the
attackers.
“The security agencies are doing the best they can, but they find it
difficult to get to remote areas in good time due to poor access roads
while the natives also find it difficult to get to security personnel
due to poor GSM network.
“But I am grateful to the Air force, Army, Police and the DSS for being
always prompt otherwise it would have been worse.”He urged the people to
continue to be patient and vigilant, as well as support government and
security agencies to win the war against the bandits.
El-Rufai prayed for peaceful repose of the souls of those who died and
directed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to provide relief
materials for the victims.News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the
villages attacked were Hashimawa, Marina, Kerawa, Unguwan Musa and
Zariyawa.
The governor was accompanied by the GOC 1 Division, Commissioner of
Police,, Director DSS and chairmen of Igabi and Giwa local
councils.Earlier, the District Head of Karewa, Alhaji Ibrahim Damu
called on the state government to intensify efforts in tackling security
challenges in the area, as the people were living in constant fear.He
also urged residents to be vigilant at all times.