Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, has called on Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Faruk Yahaya, to ensure the deployment of more security personnel to curtail the increasing rate of insecurity in the state.
The governor stated this in Sokoto on Monday while hosting the Chief of Army Staff who was in Sokoto on official assignment, the first time since his assumption of office.
Earlier in his remarks, Lt. General Yahaya commended Governor Tambuwal for his support to security agencies in tackling insecurity in the state.
The Army Chief said he was in the state as part of a familiarization tour to divisions across the country to interact with troops and encourage them on their duties as well as holding security meetings with state governors and relevant stakeholders.
He said the perpetrators of the criminal activities across the country were also human, thereby there is the need to work with everyone to take down the criminals among the citizens.
He urged the governor not to relent in his efforts in supporting security agencies in bringing peace back to the state and the country at large.
He called on the people of the state to always give necessary information to the security agencies in tackling the menace of insecurity in the state.
The Chief of Army Staff said it is only when security suffers casualties that people get to know, saying many of the bandits were being killed on daily basis by the security agencies without being reported
Meanwhile, Governor Tambuwal called on the Chief of Army Staff to coordinate an operation especially in the Eastern Senatorial zone of the state.
He said the current operation going on especially in Zamfara State is having negative effects on the state.
He said, “only between yesterday and today, we have lost many of our people in Goronyo local government with the figure yet unknown.
“We are suffering from the operations in Zamfara State and I urged you to review your operations in Zamfara and do coordinated efforts in Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina States.
“I can confirm to you that before the operations in Zamfara State, our situation was not as bad as it is now.
“I urged you to deploy more personnel, more resources and intelligence to the state in order to bring an end to this insecurity” he added.
In a related development, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, has prayed for the continuous success of the security agencies against criminal elements in the country.
Sultan, while receiving Chief of Army Staff in his office said he always feel happy receiving Army personnel in his office, having been one of them before ascending the throne.
He disclosed that Sultan Palace remains home to everyone not only the Army Chief but every Nigerian irrespective of wherever they came from or their religious background.
He said by coming together, the Nigerian Army and other security agencies have the capability to tackle the challenges before them which he said can be defeated.
He assured that the Sultanate council will continue to pray for the continued success of the Army Chief.
He called on men and officers of the Nigerian Army to continue to be loyal to the COAS as well as the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria.
He said his door is always open to the Nigerian Army and other security agencies who might need his advice.
Tambuwal advocates for judiciary intervention fund
Meanwhile, Gov Tambuwal has appealed to the Federal Government, the National Assembly (NASS) and the National Judiciary Council (NJC) to set up a Judiciary Intervention Fund (JIF) to cater for the judiciary.
Gov. Tambuwal made the call on Monday when the House of Representatives committee on judiciary visited him in his office in Sokoto.
According to him, “it is worrisome that the salary package of the justices has not been reviewed in the last 13 years.
“This is not good enough. We have reviewed the salaries. I suppose the idea of an intervention fund to the judiciary even if it is not made by way of law, there should be an injunction to that effect to revamp and turn around courts as well as provide for the welfare of the judiciary staff.”
A statement signed by his special adviser on media and publicity, Muhammad Bello, said the governor disclosed that after observing that lots of courts are dilapidated, a situation that drove his administration to renovate the state High Court.
He also pledged that the Sokoto State government will intervene institutionally in the rehabilitation of the residences of Appeal Court justices in the state capital “to make things better for them.”
The governor indicated that these interventions will encourage the judiciary “to continue to dispense and discharge justice to the people of the state.”
He said such moves will equally make the judiciary independent and functional as the last hope of the common man and some “big men in and out of politics.”
He further said: “There are challenges in this country, one of which is about the judiciary. We need to do more to grant autonomy to the judiciary and state legislatures. We need to act our words. I was very touched by the living conditions of the Appeal Court justices in Sokoto.
He commended the NASS for allowing the electronic transmission of election results and advised the parliament to review the issue of direct and indirect primaries.
“I don’t know whether the NASS takes into consideration the cumbersome nature of direct primaries, the cost implications, the requirements for INEC considering the number of political parties,” he noted,
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