Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State has urged residents to defend themselves following the worsening insecurity in the state, stating that if anyone dies while fighting bandits, they will be considered martyrs.
Katsina is President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state and has been one of the hotbeds of banditry in Nigeria.
Speaking during a media parley recently, Governor Masari said;
“It’s Islamically allowed for one to defend himself against attack. One must rise to defend himself, his family and assets. If you die while trying to defend yourself, you’ll be considered a martyr” Governor Masari said
The Katsina governor said he was ready to support Katsina people who could make lethal weapons available for use against the marauding bandits.
“We’ll support those who come with the initiative to procure arms because residents need to also complement the efforts of security agencies. It’s surprising how a bandit would own a gun while a good man trying to defend himself and his family doesn’t have one” he said
He insisted that Nigeria lacks enough policemen and soldiers to protect lives.
“Count it yourself, how many policemen do we have in this country? How many soldiers do we have? Even if we say every policeman should go back to his home state, it’ll still not be enough. So, if we fold arms and decide to do nothing, we’ll be the ones to suffer most.” he said.
