Following the freedom of 66 persons abducted by bandits in the state, the Special Adviser on Security to Sokoto State governor, Colonel Ahmed Usman (Rtd), speaks with OLAKUNLE MARUF on the current state of insecurity in the state, and other parts of the country.
HOW was your career journey in the military?
I was enlisted into the Nigerian Army as a member of the Direct Regular Commission cadet through course 10. I was commissioned as Sapper Officer on March 4, 2000. I held several positions in the army, serving as an instructor, staff officer and cantonment maintenance office. I also participated in several peace-keeping missions around the globe in the course of my 20 years in service. Notably among them were African Union Mission in Sudan, United Nations Mission in Dafur, United Nations Organization Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo , where I led team site 101 western Brigade United Nations, Kinshasa; and team site 511 United Nations HQ North Kivu Goma DRC in 2017.
My last unit in the army before my retirement was at Multinational Joint Taskforce Mongonu North-West Borno in 2019. I am a recipient of several prestigious awards and medals. After voluntarily leaving the service in 2019, I ventured into private business and consultancy. I even worked at the Department of Safety and Security of the United Nations between 2019 and 2020.
How do you see your current assignment as Special Adviser on Security Matters to the Sokoto State governor?
I have been working in this field for many years. I have successfully helped numerous clients enhance their security measures. I stay updated on the latest developments in security and continuously educate myself to provide the best advice possible.
Moreover, as a Special Adviser for security matters in the state, my duty and responsibilities include providing expert advice and guidance to the government on security-related issues. This could involve assessing potential threats, developing strategies to mitigate risks, and advising on the implementation of security measures.
I also collaborate with various stakeholders, such as law enforcement agencies and intelligence services to ensure coordinated efforts in maintaining the safety and security of the state. I will continue to do my best in this regard, so as to justify the confidence reposed in me by my boss and the entire people of the state.
Given the current security challenges the country is facing, what do you consider to be greatest threat to security in Sokoto?
From my years of experience in the army, I have been involved in different kind of operations across the length and breadth of this country. So I know much about our security challenges. Sokoto is part of the Northern part of the country being terrorised by bandits who usually come and attack our people from the neighbouring Zamfara State and Niger Republic.
There is this issue of kidnapping for ransom and cattle rustling but we are committed towards addressing them. We thank Governor Ahmed Aliyu for his unwavering support and commitment to security in the state. The governor has not only announced security as his top priority but has been matching his words with action. Our security agencies have been trying their best and with the kind of support they have been getting from this government, I know our security challenges would soon be a thing of the past. Just four days ago, we handed over 70 brand new patrol vehicles to security agencies in the state. The vehicles, comprising Toyota Hilux and Buffalos, were purchased by the state government to further strengthen the attack and surveillance capacity of security agencies in the state. There were other measures taken, which we cannot disclose, because we don’t want to pre-empt our strategies towards addressing insecurity in the state.
Which areas in the state are prone to security challenges and why?
Those areas close to Nigerien borders and Zamfara State such as Sabon Birni, Isa, Gorobyo, Rabah, Wurno, Gudu, Gwadabawa, Illela, Tangaza and Gada. As I said earlier, these attackers usually come from Niger Republic and Zamfara but we will not relent in our effort to secure and protect our people and communities against these terrorists. I assure you, we will soon have the right security architecture in place, which entails coordinating all the apparatuses of security in the state, including vigilantes to nip the menace of banditry in the bud.
Despite government and security operatives’ efforts in the Eastern Senatorial zone, people still lament rising cases of attacks. What is the way out?
[Well] Remedies for incessant attacks include involving all the necessary stakeholders, such as community leaders, traditional and religious leaders because this will aid intelligence gathering. Then, there should be a kind of motivation for local vigilance groups, because these people know the terrains very well. They know where these terrorists are hiding, and can assist the conventional security operatives to easily identify and take the fight to them. Of course, there is a renewed commitment from our security personnel, which we have been witnessing, because there are ongoing military operations in the state which is recording tremendous successes. Between last Thursday and Saturdays, the army has succeeded in rescuing 66 abductees from the bandits in Gundumi forest.
This was in addition to 51 people earlier rescued from Tsauni forest in Tangaza Local Government Area. Our security operatives now take the fight to them unlike in the past when they only response to distress calls. So the pocket of attacks in some places now is being perpetrated by bandits who are trying to escape the ongoing coordinated military onslaught in Zamfara, Kastina and Sokoto States. And God willing, it would soon disappear and become history.
What is your own reaction to the release of the 66 kidnapped persons?
It is a source of joy, not only for their family members or the state government, but also the entire people of the state, because our people now know that they have a serious government in place and its investment on security is yielding positive result.
The rescue is a demonstration of the capability of the army and the fact that I, as the Special Adviser, and a retired officer in the army, understand what it takes to motivate them to achieve results.
Aside providing logistics and moral support to security agents, what else is the government working on to halt killings in the state?
I told you some of the factors responsible for insecurity in our state and our plans to address them all. We are coming up with good policies and programmes aimed at enhancing the welfare and well-being of our people. We want to address the root causes of the problem and with the support and prayers of our people, we will get there.
The governor recently confirmed that the bill establishing community guard corps has been passed. What next?
The next phase is implementation. We will make sure we recruit people of proven integrity and character into the service, provide them with the necessary training, logistics and welfare for them to discharge their duty effectively. The guards will be operating under a strict supervision of office of the Special Adviser on Security Matters and conventional security outfits as well. Their work is to complement and assist our security operatives in safeguarding their communities.
What are the criteria to be adopted in the recruitment of these community guards?
The best criterion for recruitment is security experience; we will go for retired security personnel with track records and not those who were dismissed because of one reason or the other. We will also look at those indigenous people who have the knowledge of the terrain with the ability to communicate effectively with security personnel. But they must undergo our integrity test.
How many people are you going to recruit?
As many as we can accommodate and they will be recruited from the three senatorial districts. The process will be transparent and with no political interference. I am sure the people of the state will commend the process of the recruitment.
Will the state make provisions for them to carry AK-47 or what weapon will they be provided with?
You know there are weapons which are not allowed for non-conventional security operatives. They will carry only light weapon for self-protection and most importantly, they will operate under a strict supervision of the law enforcement agencies. We are working with other security agents to ensure our state is fully secured and hopefully things will improve that our people can go to bed with two eyes closed.
What message do you have for the people of the state?
The message is security is not restricted to security personnel alone or a one man business. Everyone is involved. If you see any suspicious thing or any security breach in your area, report immediately to the nearest security agency. And our people should help in identifying and reporting informants, because without them, this problem wouldn’t have escalated. We should, therefore, desist from shielding these criminal elements. Lastly, our people should support and cooperate with this government and security operatives in their effort to address our security and other challenges bedeviling our dear state.
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