Kankara District Head Suspended For Sponsoring Banditry, Kidnapping

The Katsina Emirate Council has suspended the District head of Kankara, Yusuf Lawal, for allegedly sponsoring the activities of bandits in the area.

In a statement on Sunday, Katsina Emirate’s Secretary, Iro Bindawa said Lawal’s immediate suspension followed residents’ complaints of his villainous activities.

The Secretary added that the fate of the district head will be decided after the investigation has been concluded.

According to Peoples Gazette, it is not clear whether or not Lawal has been handed over to the police.

The suspension followed widespread insecurity in Kankara, Katsina State, which is also President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state.

In December 2020, armed men suspected to be bandits invaded the Government Science Secondary School in the Kankara Local Government Area of the state, killing a security guard and kidnapping over 300 students.

The students were freed after negotiations with the Nigerian government that reportedly included a significant ransom.

Amidst the fear of bandits attacking schools, Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari, in March, ordered all boarding schools shut.

The administration of Governor Masari had also announced plans to deploy security dogs to protect schoolchildren in state-owned boarding schools.