Porous borders fueling influx of mercenaries in North-West

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Kaduna Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has claimed that porous borders are responsible for influx of arms and mercenaries in the North West.

According to him, the implications are the current security threat we are facing in the form of banditry and terrorism.

He made this known on Monday while addressing Commissioners of Security in the North West Zone during a Policymakers Technical Session on the North West Peace and Security Development Framework held in Kaduna.

He also called for extension of the operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force to cover international borders spanning the Northwest region.

While noting that, the government does not have luxury of time, as the North West Zone faces an existential threat, he expressed belief that expanding the Multinational Joint Task Force to cover the borders, will go a long way in curtailing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons that fuel kidnapping by bandits and terrorists.

The Governor lamented that the North West Zone faces an existential threat, adding that, seven states of the North West are affected by rural banditry merged with insurgency, along with cattle rustling, kidnapping, and communal violence.

“We don’t have the luxury of time. The North West Zone faces an existential threat. The seven states of the North West are affected by rural banditry merged with insurgency, along with cattle rustling, kidnapping, and communal violence.

“Poverty is ravaging our people. The population of out-of-school children is scary. Insecurity in the North West has retarded developments in the critical sectors. Farmers cannot access their farms. Food insecurity now confronts us directly. Child and maternal mortality are on the increase. Our infrastructure has decayed.

“This Policymakers Technical Session has been organized with the overall objective of presenting and collectively reviewing the report of the Inaugural North West Peace and Security Summit and outlining the considerations needed in developing a North West Peace and Security Development Framework Roadmap.

“The framework seeks to foster synergy and a collaborative approach, promote regional stability, economic prosperity, and social advancement, and broaden the developmental perspective to address the root causes of conflict and insecurity confronting the region.

“This is a meeting like no other. This is a meeting that must chart the path to the restoration of peace and security in the North West Zone. You are expected to review the Katsina Summit Report deeply reflect on the outcomes and develop a forward-looking and realistic framework for action.

“As Commissioners for Security, you are well placed to chart the pathway to a peaceful and secure North West Zone. To assist our Commissioners of Security in developing a clear and realistic Roadmap, I propose the following: i. We need to effectively degrade criminal elements in the North West, a multidimensional approach is urgently required.

“Security management must move beyond physical security, and draw deeply from our political environment, socio-economic factors, education, financial inclusion, rural infrastructure, and expanding economic opportunities. We must bring together all stakeholders, in a sweeping, participatory drive.

“We must establish a Theater Command dedicated to combatting bandits and terrorists in the Northwest. The Theater Command will be greatly assisted by the 1 Division Nigerian Army (covering Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Niger states) and 8 Division (covering Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and Katsina states).

“Extension of the operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force to cover international borders spanning the Northwest; Porous borders fuel threats to national security and allow the movement of mercenaries and arms. Expanding the MNJTF will go a long way in curtailing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons that fuel kidnapping by bandits and terrorists.

“Standing Security Committees should be formed at State and Local Government levels (Civil Society, Religious and Traditional leaders) for effective synergy and early warnings against violence. Regular review and refining of security strategies should include viable non-kinetic approaches: deradicalisation, rehabilitation, and transitional justice. Socio-economic interventions must be prioritized and effectively implemented to address rural poverty and infrastructure deficits.

“Along with amplifying support to our security forces as a region, and enhancing our localized intelligence systems, we must collectively pursue other essential steps like stimulating investment, developing agriculture and agri-business, expanding rural infrastructure, broadening access to education and healthcare, and most importantly, nurturing engagement and promoting a sense of inclusion among all our citizens.

“A massive campaign for ethical re-orientation must be launched in the North West to revive values that made our people have respect for human lives, community living, hardwork and decency.

“There is also the urgent need to unify our people and mobilise them to collectively tackle the myriad developmental and security challenges facing the zone. All hands must be on deck. The blame game must stop. Let us de-emphasise politics and focus on development. It is time to take our destiny into our own hands.

“I urge you to give your best shots to this important assignment. You carry the burden of our entire zone. The outcome of this meeting is eagerly awaited by the Governors of the North West Zone. Our zone has bled for too long. It is time to decisively take on the criminal elements in our midst and restore peace and security to our troubled communities,” the Governor said.

In his welcome address, Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan said, that the current security threats in Northwest States particularly banditry and terrorism have become increasingly irregular, as they have metamorphosed to the extent that they now demand significant levels of cooperation between and across layers of government, and indeed between states.

Aruwan stressed the need for closer security collaboration between the States of the Northwest, adding that, “from a geo-strategic point of view, the land mass of the Northwest states combined is approximately 216,000 square kilometers, much of this comprises ungoverned forest ranges and hard-to-reach areas which are deeply exploited by bandits and terrorists as base camps and hostage holding areas.

“When you combine this land mass with contiguous states of Plateau and Niger, we are dealing with a total relevant area of 323,341 square kilometers. The responsibility with which we have been saddled as security administrators in the Northwest is immense. We must be fully awake to the cruel effects of insecurity on the lives of citizens, threats to food security, education, healthcare delivery, threats to civic freedom and social cohesion, and especially the threat to our rural economy,” Aruwan said.

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