By; ALEX UANGBAOJE, Kaduna
The Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, have expressed worries that the fallout from the insecurity sweeping across the region has exposed the state
to criminal activities such as armed banditry, insurgency, extremism, kidnapping, rape, drug abuse and other crimes, which have threatened peace and security.
Speaking at the stakeholders’ engagement on current security challenges in the Northwest geo-political zone in Kaduna, the Governor, who was represented by Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, said the current security threats confronting the Northwest States-particularly banditry and terrorism – have become increasingly irregular.
He said the fundamental objective of Government is the security and welfare of its people, but that requires significant levels of collaboration between and across layers of government, as well as distinct groups.
“In clear recognition of this fact, this forum has been set up to stimulate productive engagement between relevant groups across the region. It is believed that such an engagement will avail profound insight to all stakeholders and position them to effectively negate the existing challenges at community and group levels”, he stated.
Recognizing the importance of such engagements, the Governor, added that the Kaduna State Government set up a Peace Commission in 2017, towards promoting peaceful and harmonious coexistence in the state.
el-Rufai, stressed that the Kaduna State Peace Commission has facilitated dialogues between several diametrically opposed groups, saying such engagements helps in identifying actual threats, appropriate differences in new ways, and encourage healthy cross pollination of positive values.
According to him, “the creation of the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs in July 2019, provided more dedicated focus on intelligence gathering and enabled better coordination of security operations and collaborative efforts. The Kaduna State Government thus complements the efforts of the armed forces, the police and other national security outfits through logistics support, mobility, hardware and other means”.
“Crucially, improving internal security cannot be left to government alone. Insecurity impacts the local populace directly. Citizens must be incorporated in efforts to address the problem. In that light, the Kaduna State Vigilance Service has been repositioned to enhance the compactness of responses to the current profile of challenges”.
While expressing the unique nature of Kaduna State compared with many other states in the Northwest, he noted that they do not neglect such factors as social, ethnic, religious, and political diversity, saying these are normal and healthy but are easily manipulated to become tension lines for insecurity and eventually banditry.
He explained that as part of state government’s mandate, they have awakened the security consciousness of citizens, making sure they realize that bandits do not care about religion or ethnicity, but the insecurity faced by the state is plain criminality.
“Terrorists are a threat to humanity in general and can only be defeated if we come together with adequate focus to confront them. When security issues are unfortunately politicized, criminal elements are emboldened and are provided with a shield to deepen criminality and proliferate their inhuman acts. The Kaduna State Government has consistently stated that all citizens must rather recourse to the law in the face of grievance or injury”. The Governor said.
He acknowledged the efforts of civil society and the media in supporting the State Government, describing them as critical partners to security agencies and government in tackling security issues.
“We are especially pleased to welcome the impressive array of representatives from trade unions, professional associations, and all invited stakeholder groups. Security is intimately tied to development, agriculture, hospitality and commerce. Your presence here will greatly enrich the quality of discussions towards the socio-economic development of our respective states”, he noted.
Speaking at the stakeholders’ engagement on current security challenges in the Northwest geo-political zone in Kaduna, the Governor, who was represented by Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, said the current security threats confronting the Northwest States-particularly banditry and terrorism – have become increasingly irregular.
He said the fundamental objective of Government is the security and welfare of its people, but that requires significant levels of collaboration between and across layers of government, as well as distinct groups.
“In clear recognition of this fact, this forum has been set up to stimulate productive engagement between relevant groups across the region. It is believed that such an engagement will avail profound insight to all stakeholders and position them to effectively negate the existing challenges at community and group levels”, he stated.
Recognizing the importance of such engagements, the Governor, added that the Kaduna State Government set up a Peace Commission in 2017, towards promoting peaceful and harmonious coexistence in the state.
el-Rufai, stressed that the Kaduna State Peace Commission has facilitated dialogues between several diametrically opposed groups, saying such engagements helps in identifying actual threats, appropriate differences in new ways, and encourage healthy cross pollination of positive values.
According to him, “the creation of the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs in July 2019, provided more dedicated focus on intelligence gathering and enabled better coordination of security operations and collaborative efforts. The Kaduna State Government thus complements the efforts of the armed forces, the police and other national security outfits through logistics support, mobility, hardware and other means”.
“Crucially, improving internal security cannot be left to government alone. Insecurity impacts the local populace directly. Citizens must be incorporated in efforts to address the problem. In that light, the Kaduna State Vigilance Service has been repositioned to enhance the compactness of responses to the current profile of challenges”.
While expressing the unique nature of Kaduna State compared with many other states in the Northwest, he noted that they do not neglect such factors as social, ethnic, religious, and political diversity, saying these are normal and healthy but are easily manipulated to become tension lines for insecurity and eventually banditry.
He explained that as part of state government’s mandate, they have awakened the security consciousness of citizens, making sure they realize that bandits do not care about religion or ethnicity, but the insecurity faced by the state is plain criminality.
“Terrorists are a threat to humanity in general and can only be defeated if we come together with adequate focus to confront them. When security issues are unfortunately politicized, criminal elements are emboldened and are provided with a shield to deepen criminality and proliferate their inhuman acts. The Kaduna State Government has consistently stated that all citizens must rather recourse to the law in the face of grievance or injury”. The Governor said.
He acknowledged the efforts of civil society and the media in supporting the State Government, describing them as critical partners to security agencies and government in tackling security issues.
“We are especially pleased to welcome the impressive array of representatives from trade unions, professional associations, and all invited stakeholder groups. Security is intimately tied to development, agriculture, hospitality and commerce. Your presence here will greatly enrich the quality of discussions towards the socio-economic development of our respective states”, he noted.
