• FG condemns attacks, Uba Sani wants bandits prosecuted
• hehu Sani blames northern govs for attacks, seeks regional safety outfit
• Ortom urges govt to strengthen OPWS in curbing herdsmen menace

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai yesterday apologised to the people of the state, and especially the communities that were attacked at the weekend for his failure to fully protect them.

He made the apology when he visited communities that were attacked by bandits in Igabi and Giwa councils, saying there would be no negotiation with bandits.

El-Rufai confirmed that the bandits killed over 50 persons, including children, women and old people, adding that the communities are, Kerewa, Ungwan Musa and Zariyawa, among others.

He said, “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 banditry will be addressed because security personnel are on ground to manage the situation.

“In Kaduna, we have vast land and if the security agents close one area, they attack another area. It is the duty of my administration to wipe out the attackers.

Also reacting to the killing yesterday the Presidency expressed sadness and regrets over the latest bandits attack in Kaduna State that killed several people and left many injured.

In a statement signed by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhari assured the people of Kaduna State and other parts of the country that the government would continue to deploy all available resources to fight the cold-hearted bandits with a view to bringing them to book.

Besides, representative of Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Uba Sani has described weekend’s killings in communities of Igabi Council Area as dastardly, insisting that the perpetrators must be punished.

Sani lamented that the cold-blooded murder of no fewer than 51 persons in Kaduna villages has further deepened the pains of Nigerians and reinforced the imperative and urgency of reinforcing the country’s security architecture.

Sani, who restated the need to rejig the security architecture to curb the challenges of insecurity said, “It is now clear to Nigerians that our strategies and tactics are ineffective. The time to infuse new ideas and personnel is now.

On his part, civil rights crusader and former representative of Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Shehu Sani, blamed northern governors for the attacks and Killings in the North and charged them to set up a regional security outfit to end activities of bandits and terrorists.

Sani said since the President Buhari-led government has failed to defend the lives and property of Nigerians, the Northern governors should immediately establish the security outfit in the region to combat banditry and other societal menace.

Meanwhile, disturbed by the influx of herdsmen to Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom has urged the Federal Government to strengthen the capacity of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) and other security agencies to curb the menace of the pastoralists.

Ortom, who made the call while speaking with newsmen at Government House, Makurdi, raised the alarm that the state has come under siege and attack again, adding, “We are becoming helpless.”