The Senate on Wednesday raised concern over worsening insecurity in Katsina State following fresh bandit attacks that reportedly left at least 35 people dead within 24 hours.
The resolutions followed a motion of urgent public importance on the recent ambush of operatives of the Nigeria Police Mobile Force in Bakori Local Government Area, during which three policemen were killed and two others critically injured.
Leading the debate, the sponsor of the motion, Senator Mohammed Dandutse, said the attacks occurred across several local government areas, with 24 people killed in Faskari, eight in Dandume, two in Funtua and one in Kankara.
Dandutse warned that the sustained violence was disrupting farming activities, noting that more than 50,000 farmlands had been abandoned due to insecurity, posing a threat to food production and livelihoods in the state.
He recalled that Governor Dikko Radda had earlier led a delegation from the Funtua Zone to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during which the President pledged to establish a military barracks around Malumfashi to address the security challenges.
The senator also raised concerns over porous routes linking Katsina with parts of Kaduna and Zamfara states, which he said were being exploited by bandits to launch attacks, stressing the need for improved interstate security coordination.
Contributing to the debate, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, and other senators said existing security efforts needed to be strengthened with increased troop deployment, modern equipment and intelligence-driven operations.
Several lawmakers described the affected areas as key agricultural zones and warned that continued insecurity posed broader economic risks. Senator Aliyu Wadada cautioned against negotiating with bandits, arguing that such approaches often embolden criminal groups.
After deliberations, the Senate adopted the motion and urged the President to immediately implement the planned establishment of a military barracks in the affected part of Katsina State.
The upper chamber also called on the Inspector-General of Police to equip the newly established police squadron in the area with at least three Armoured Personnel Carriers to enhance operations, and urged security agencies to sustain coordinated actions to flush out criminal elements.
In addition, the Senate mandated the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the National Emergency Management Agency to provide relief to affected communities.
The Senate observed a one-minute silence in honour of those killed in the attacks.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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