Network services in some parts of Katsina state have been disrupted just a week after telecom services in nearby Zamfara were shut down, Governor Bello Masari’s security adviser Ibrahim Ahmed Katsina said on Friday.

The affected local government areas include Funtua, Bakori, Jibiya, Malulfashi, Faskari, Batsari and Danmusa, Sabuwa, Kankara, Dutsinma, Kurfi, Safana and Dandume.

Mr Katsina stated that most of the local governments whose network services are being blocked share borderlines with Zamfara and that it is critical that authorities take this measure to prevent militants in Zamfara from continuing to use the telephone signals from Katsina to conduct business.

“The purpose of this measure is to prevent the spread of terrorism. Wherever we see it spreading, we will block it, but at the moment these local government areas have been blocked in order to intensify the violence and assist the security forces to make their work easier,” Mr Katsina told the BBC.

The adviser apologized to the residents of the impacted local government areas, explaining that the measure was made to help them cope with the crisis. Bandits have targeted Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna, and Niger, causing economic destruction and abducting residents and high school students en masse. Other northern states, like Sokoto and Nasarawa, are also witnessing frequent attacks.

The Nigerian military’s battle against bandits in the country’s northern region has had some success in recent times, as there has been a crackdown on bandits in Zamfara, where numerous militants have been killed, many have been dislodged, and weapons have been recovered.