Bandits have now been emboldened that they now openly provide bank account details for kidnap victims to make payment for ransom.
The member representing Faskari/ Kankara/Sabuwa Federal Constituency of Katsina State in the House of Representatives, Hon. Shehu Dalhatu made this disclosure, while lamenting the deteriorating incidents of banditry.
According to Dalhatu, this audacious act indicates the impunity with which the criminals now operate and raised significant concerns about the security of the telecommunications and financial systems in the country.
The lawmaker who stated this while moving a motion of ‘urgent public importance’ on the need for government intervention in escalating bandit attacks in his Constituency, said evidence of such ransom demands was readily available, including on personal devices, further proving the gravity of the situation.
He said that in the past four months, bandits have not spared his Constituency for 48-hour without an attack.
He addedd, that armed bandits only last week ambushed members of the Katsina State Community Watch Corps, along the Yankara-Faskari Road, killing six of them and wounded two others before seizing their weapons.
Similarly, Dalhatu added that the hoodlums, two days later; on Sunday targeted innocent people at Balan Dawa village, killing three and kidnapping some women, while the attack escalated on Monday when bandits attacked the Funtua-Gusau Road, killing one person and kidnapping an unspecified number of commuters.
The lawmaker further expressed concern that “the situation has deteriorated to the point where bandits now openly provide bank account details for ransom payments to be made for kidnapped victims.
“Despite previous efforts by government agencies and the deployment of security personnel, banditry in these areas has persisted, signaling that current strategies are inadequate.
“The local communities have made brave attempts to protect themselves through initiatives such as the Vigilantes, but they are severely outmatched by the heavily armed bandits,” he said.
Dalhatu called on security agencies to urgently intensify efforts towards rescuing all affected by the criminals while calling on the Nigerian Army and Nigerian Police Force to immediately reinforce security measures by deploying additional personnel to the Constituency for the protection of lives and property.
Dalhatu further urged the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to investigate the use of telecommunications networks and financial systems by bandits to facilitate ransom payments, and to work closely with law enforcement agents to block such channels of communication and financial transactions used by criminals.
In adopting the motion, the House referred it to the Committees on Defence, Army, Police and National Security for further legislative action while also observing a minute silence in honour of those killed by bandits, and condoled the relatives of the deceased persons.
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