By Sa’adu Sani
The blood of the faithful, spilled in a place of peace and submission, once again cries out from the soil of Katsina State. The horrific reprisal attack on worshippers at Fajr prayer in Unguwar Mantau village, Malumfashi LGA, which left at least 13 innocent souls dead, is not just another headline.
It is a searing indictment of a failing system, a stark symbol of the unbearable agony consuming the North-West, and a tragic testament to the abandonment of a people.When does a people’s resilience become a synonym for governmental neglect? When does condemnation, repeated ad nauseam, become not a comfort, but an insult to the bereaved?
The pattern is now tragically familiar. A community is attacked. Lives are brutally cut short. A statement is issued from the government house, expressing “strong condemnation” and offering “heartfelt condolences.” There is a call, often to the Federal Government, to “come to the aid of the state.” And then, a grim silence until the next massacre.
This was the script followed yesterday by the acting governor, Faruq Jobe. While the sentiment is acknowledged, the people of Katsina are choking on a diet of words while starving for action and security.The question every citizen is asking is: for how long? When will this bloodshed stop? Our communities are under siege. Our farmers are afraid of their fields, our travellers fear the roads, and now, our worshippers are not safe even in their mosques at dawn.
The social fabric of the North-West is being torn apart by a relentless onslaught of violence, and the response has been woefully inadequate.The Katsina State Security Outreach, though a commendable initiative, has been visibly overwhelmed. They are outgunned and outnumbered by marauding bandits who operate with impunity. This reality necessitates a more robust, multi-layered, and proactive strategy—a strategy that seems elusive.
What compounds the pain is the palpable feeling of abandonment. We have watched, with a mix of admiration and envy, how the Borno State government, under Professor Babagana Zulum, responds to attacks. Immediate visits to the bereaved communities. On-the-spot assessment and relief.
A visible, empathetic presence that, while not erasing the pain, at least assures the people that they are not alone. In Katsina, victims are left to their own devices, to bury their dead and nurse their trauma, with no high-ranking government official to share in their grief or offer immediate, tangible support.This leads to the most troubling question of all: what is being done with the resources? Billions of Naira are collected monthly by the state and local governments from the Federal Allocation. Security votes run into millions.
Where is the tangible investment in security infrastructure? Where are the advanced surveillance systems? Where is the logistical support for the local vigilantes? Where are the programs for community fortification and victim support? The people see nothing but a void where decisive action should be.Enough is enough.
The people of Katsina, and indeed the entire North-West, can no longer bear this burden. We are tired of the empty rhetoric and the cycle of violence and condemnation. We demand more than press releases.We demand that the Katsina State Government move beyond words and translate its condemnations into a visible, decisive, and effective security plan.
The acting governor must lead from the front, not just from the government house.We demand an immediate and compassionate visit to Unguwar Mantau and other attacked communities. The victims deserve to see their leaders, to feel that their loss is a state loss.
We demand a transparent accounting of the security votes and a detailed presentation of what concrete measures are being taken to secure lives and property.We call on the Federal Government to treat the banditry in the North-West with the same intensity as insurgency in the North-East. This requires a full-scale, coordinated military and socio-economic operation to reclaim our forests and villages.The blood of the thirteen worshippers in Unguwar Mantau, and the countless others before them, demands justice, not just condolences. It is time for governance that is felt not in statements, but in the safety of our homes and the peace of our mosques. The time for action is now. Tomorrow may be too late.
