The Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has stated that the insurgency in the North-West is more serious than what exists now in the Northeast, saying the situation presents a clear danger to the holding of the 2023 elections and census if not nipped in the bud now.
El-Rufai said the establishment of the North-West theatre command will enable a holistic approach to counter-insurgency operations across the affected states and the enhanced coordination of the resources of the Armed Forces, the Police, the SSS, state vigilance services, hunters, and other local volunteers to fight the insurgents.
The Governor, in his address at the presentation of the state’s security reports for the second and third quarters of 2022, held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, on Friday, assured that the Kaduna State Government will continue to do everything within its powers to enhance security.
He pointed out that the abiding lesson of the security operations that were launched in 2015-2016 as a collaboration between the states in the area and the Federal Government was the success that was achieved.
Mallam Rufai said the initial success of the operation recorded in the Kamuku-Kuyambana forest ranges was not consolidated through continuous operations, and the criminal elements were thus able to recover, regroup, and resume.
The Governor added that the lesson and the continuous nature of the cross-state operations of the criminals inform the view of the Kaduna State Government that a theatre command, similar to the one in place in the North-East, is required, adding that effective security operations in the seven states of the North-West and Niger States, which have continuous and contiguous forest ranges, require this approach.
“We have invested considerable resources and energy in managing security to the extent that the constitution permits a subnational. Our interventions since 2015 have included supporting the federal security agencies deployed in our state with vehicles and other logistics, collaborating with other frontline states to fund military operations in the 2015–2016 period, and investments in security infrastructure and technology.
“The lessons learned in the 2016-2019 period informed our decision to establish the first sub-national Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs at the beginning of our second term in 2019.”
He said the concerns about political thuggery as the country approached the elections must be addressed in a proactive manner, adding that the government needs to profile political actors, map their thugs, and bring them to justice immediately.
According to him, those engaged in propagating injurious falsehood and incitement need to be vigorously prosecuted, adding that the case of the Birnin Gwari lynching and the statement that followed need to be followed by prosecution and conviction.
On the state’s security reports for the second and third quarters of 2022, he said figures show a pattern of reductions in the gravity of security incidents in the second and third quarters of 2022, compared to the first quarter.
“This is a consequence of the intensification of offensive security operations against the bandits in recent months.” We have for years called for a comprehensive and sustained assertion of the prerogatives of the state through combined air and ground military and police operations. “This is the most effective way to protect our people, uphold law and order, and enhance the ability of our people to peacefully pursue their livelihoods,” he said.
The governor urged community leaders and royal highnesses in the state to intensify efforts at identifying informants, black spots for the sale of drugs, and those that destroy critical infrastructure.
He equally appealed to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to conclude the tax credit arrangement with the Dangote Group for the reconstruction of the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari highway and Birnin Gwari-Dansadau Roads, which were approved by President Buhari in 2019.
He expressed gratitude to the security agencies, particularly the Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, Civil Defense, SSS, our State Vigilance Service, NDLEA, and KASTLEA, for their constant collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs in the hard work of securing the state.
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