According to a report by Leadership News on Thursday, August 28, 2025, Hon. Abubakar Muhammad, popularly known as Total, has taken a significant step to protect his constituents in Funtua Constituency, Katsina State, following repeated attacks by armed bandits.
The decision came after a recent incident in Bagari, where villagers confronted the attackers not with weapons but with stones.
The encounter left one person dead and another abducted, highlighting the extreme vulnerability of local communities in the face of violent criminal groups.
The harrowing incident deeply affected Hon. Abubakar Muhammad, who saw the villagers’ courage but also recognized the grave danger they faced without proper means of defense.
Determined to prevent similar tragedies, he resolved to equip residents with weapons and training, emphasizing safety and responsibility.
The lawmaker’s intervention aims to empower the communities while maintaining order and reducing the risk of indiscriminate violence.
Under his directive, six wards within the Funtua Constituency have been selected to receive the weapons, which will be placed under the supervision of the Community Watch Corps (CWC).
This arrangement ensures that the firearms are not misused and that there is an organized system to respond to threats.
The CWC will also oversee the training of residents, providing them with practical knowledge on how to handle and maintain the weapons responsibly.
Training sessions conducted for the villagers include lessons on basic firearm safety, conflict de-escalation, and coordination during an attack.
The goal is to strengthen community resilience while preventing accidental injuries or misuse of the arms.
By combining access to defensive tools with education, Hon. Abubakar Muhammad hopes to create a structured defense system that can respond effectively to future threats.
Community leaders and residents have welcomed the initiative, noting that previous attacks left them feeling helpless and vulnerable.
The provision of weapons, along with proper training, is seen as a crucial step toward self-protection and a way to deter bandits from targeting villages in the future.
This move also signals a shift in how local communities approach security challenges in areas where government protection has often been limited.
Despite the focus on arming residents, Hon. Abubakar Muhammad has stressed the importance of responsible ownership and disciplined use of weapons.
The initiative is not intended to encourage vigilantism but to provide a last line of defense for communities under threat, officials have coordinated with local authorities to ensure that the effort complements broader security strategies in Katsina State.
Hon. Abubakar Muhammad’s actions reflect a growing concern among lawmakers about the safety of constituents in regions prone to banditry.
The story of villagers using stones against heavily armed attackers served as a stark reminder of the risks faced by communities, prompting this decisive intervention.
By combining practical support with structured training, he seeks to strengthen both the morale and the security of residents in Funtua Constituency.
He said: “I was troubled when I heard residents use stones to confront bandits; that courage moved me, but it also broke me. It was then I decided to help them with arms.
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