Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina has blamed security and government officials at federal, state and local government levels for failing to protect the citizens.

“Security officials and we the government are who the people rely on to protect them, and we have failed in doing so,” Mr Masari said.

Mr Masari made this statement in an interview with BBC Hausa on Tuesday.

The governor’s admittance is coming barely two weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari’s advance convoy was attacked by bandits in Katsina, and Boko Haram insurgents raided the Kuje prison, freeing terrorists and other hardened criminals.

Mr Masari further said that insecurity “has affected almost every state in Nigeria and also some of our neighbours like Niger, Mali are also battling this issue.”

He added: “a lot of security operatives have been killed. Not up to two weeks ago a commissioner of police lost his life; an inspector lost his life; soldiers have been killed, officers have lost their lives in their efforts to tackle insecurity.”

Under Mr Buhari’s regime, Katsina, Kaduna, Kebbi, Niger, Zamfara and several other states have witnessed increased killings and kidnappings for ransom perpetrated by bandits.

The president had boasted in a June interview with Bloomberg that his regime will “leave Nigeria in a far better place than we found it,” adding that “terrorists no longer hold any territory in Nigeria, and their leaders are deceased.”