Following the directives of the Katsina state government on Monday to ban the activities of outlawed Yansakai group in the state, the Katsina State Police Command has issued directives to all its Area Commanders and DPOs to go after the recalcitrant offenders and their sponsors wherever they are in the state and bring them to justice.

The directive was contained in a press statement made available to Vanguard on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Gambo Isah on behalf of the the state Police Commissioner.

In the statement, the Command warned “members of the public to disassociate themselves with the group”, urging them to cooperate with security agencies and report any “Dansakai or Yansakai” within their domains, saying “the Command will not fold its arms while some disgruntled members of the public take laws into their hands, brazenly killing innocent citizens, destroying and looting public property without recourse to the rule of law.”

According to the statement, henceforth “the Nigeria Police Force and indeed other sister security agencies will deal decisively with any person or group of persons found parading themselves as Yansakai or any other like name in the state.”

The statement also noted that “Government and security agencies will only recognized the efforts and contribution of the State Vigilante Group which is under the supervision of the Police and the traditional leaders.”

Members of the public with useful information are enjoined to “always cooperate with security agencies by providing them with useful information that may assist them in the ongoing onslaught against the recalcitrant terrorists–bandits using any of the Police Emergency Phone Lines here 08156977777 or 09053872247.”

Earlier, the Katsina State Government announced the ban on the activities of ‘Yan Sa Kai Volunteer Group across the State with Immediate effect.

According to the Special Adviser on Security Matters, Ibrahim Ahmed Katsina, the ban became necessary due to “their overzealous criminal activities which has resulted in extra judicial killings of innocent persons and looting of properties under the guise of ‘Yan Sa Kai operations in the state.”

With the ban, the police and security agencies were mandated to enforce the dismantling of all ‘Yan Sa Kai activities across the State, henceforth, warning that “henceforth, nobody should take the law into his hands, under whatever guise. Arrested suspects should be handed over to the Police or any Security Agency for proper investigation and action where need be.”