Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina  state says there is a strong linkage between Boko Haram and cattle rustlers that are terrorising the northern parts of the country.

Masari stated this during the opening ceremony of  the Two-day Cattle Breeders/Dealers Stakeholders Meeting in Katsina on Tuesday.

Governor Masari : strong ties between cattle rustlers, Boko Haram

He said it was because of the linkage that President Muhammadu Buhari directed all security chiefs to join hands with the governors of eight states in the north-west zone to tackle the menace of rustling.

The governor said Boko Haram insurgents and the cattle rustlers have similar modes of operation by killing people and destroying their property.

He said that most of the arms and ammunitions that the criminals were using to carry out their dastardly acts were being ferried into the country through the usage of animals that crossed the forest.

He said the governors in the eight states that have the problem of cattle rustling would soon create a databank for movement of cows from the north to the south.

“We will harmonise and computerise the movement of cows from our region to the south to checkmate the issue of cow theft.

“All cow dealers must get clearance of the commodity before moving them to the south and anybody without the clearance papers would be arrested”, he said.

Secretary to Katsina State Government, Alhaji Mustapha Inuwa, warned that anybody caught disturbing the peace in the state would be arrested.

Inuwa warned that anybody caught indulging in cattle rustling would be decisively dealt with.

He said Katsina Government recently released another N45 million to the committee charged with stopping cattle rustling in north-west.

Inuwa appealed to parents and guardians to warn their children against joining the cattle rustlers syndicate in the state.