Criminal elements are being aided by a network of informants in numerous areas, according to Kaduna State Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai.
As a result, he urged traditional institutions to mobilize their networks in order to expose them and provide local intelligence to the security services.
El Rufai urged Kaduna residents to farm in large numbers wherever they can because “that is the concrete approach to eliminate hunger and food prices.”
The governor stated that his administration is aware that farmers have been attacked, kidnapped, or even killed while working their fields in some areas, but that bandit activity is being addressed.
When His Highness, the Emir of Zazzau, Malam Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, paid him the traditional Hawan Bariki courtesy visit in Zaria on Tuesday, El Rufai gave this guarantee.
El Rufai thanked God for being there at the Eid-El-Fitr celebration, but he noted that citizens in some of our communities fasted and worshiped amidst lingering fears and anxiety about their security. ‘’
‘’The Kaduna State Government continues to do everything it can to mobilise and support the federal security agencies to defeat the terrorists and criminals that menace our people,’’ he added.
Since taking office in 2015, the governor has enumerated efforts taken by the state administration to combat insecurity in Kaduna state.
According to him, “my first official action as governor on 29 May 2015 was to summon an emergency meeting of the State Security Council which held on 30 May 2015, with the specific purpose of identifying the security threats across the state and finding answers to address them.’’
‘‘One outcome of that meeting was the decision to collaborate with the governors of the other states in the North-west and Niger State to fund a joint military operation to clear the Kamuku-Kuyambana forest swathes in the Birnin Gwari axis of cattle rustlers hibernating in the ranges that cover Niger, Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara States,’’ he said.
El Rufai however lamented ‘’while this action decimated the criminals, it is a matter for regret that the necessary follow up operations were not sustained by the security agencies.’’
He reiterated that Kaduna state remains ‘’convinced that comprehensive, simultaneous military and security operation in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Plateau and Niger states is vital to stopping the terrorists and reasserting the authority of the Nigerian state in the ungoverned spaces.’’
‘’We created a specialised Ministry of Internal Security, and we continue to support the federal security agencies with logistics and other resources. We are engaging the highest echelons of government and the security structure on resolute action to protect the lives, liberty and livelihoods of our people,’’ he said.
In many areas, criminal elements are aided by a network of informants, according to the governor, who suggested that traditional institutions mobilize their networks to expose them and provide local intelligence to security agencies.
El Rufai also urged citizens to take part in the process of choosing candidates for the general election in 2023, urging them to “make it a peaceful exercise in freedom of choice.”
“It is critical for the integrity of the process and the safety of residents that everyone conducts themselves with respect for law and order,” he says. Throughout the tug of war, we call for responsible behavior and acceptable speech.
