By Chimezie Godfrey
The Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-rufai has called for co-ordinated action by security agencies to eliminate terrorism in the country.
This was part of his remarks at the presentation of the state’s 2021 Annual Security Report, held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, on Tuesday.
Governor El-rufai who noted that the 2021 Security Report is the second annual presentation on security incidents in Kaduna State to be published since 2019, revealed that the report is a factual account of a challenging situation that reflect the pains inflicted on citizens across the state by criminals and outlaws.
According to him, the tragic events of 2021 reinforced the importance of collaboration as a security tool, as he assured that the Governors of five frontline states in the North-west zone and Niger State will continue to share information and press for the security agencies for a sustained campaign of continuous, simultaneous operations against the terrorists across the vast region.
The Governor who noted with sadness the escalation of violence in Zangon-Kataf Chiefdom, which according to him appears to be rapidly spilling into the Chawai part of Kauru Local Government, condemned the disregard for human life and the violations of law that are fuelling the crisis.
“We sympathise with the affected communities. This outbreak of violence is a serious challenge to the community level peace process initiated by His Highness, the Agwam of Zangon Kataf and community leaders in the area.
“While the security agencies keep trying their best, the peacemakers on the ground should not be discouraged. Peace is worth every effort, despite the setbacks encountered.
“We continue to emphasise that as a state government, we do not believe that there is any phenomenon like ‘repentant bandits’. Any person that makes a conscious decision to secure arms, challenge the authority of the Nigerian state, and threatens the lives and property of Nigerians does not deserve to live, or be granted any concession by the society.
“There are no immediate or remote causes to justify terrorist conduct. Those that hide behind these are either ethnic jingoists, religious apologists or fail to recognise that no legitimate government can survive by tolerating terrorists or negotiating with those that menace law-abiding citizens.
“While acknowledging their efforts and sacrifices of lives and limb, we therefore urge our military, police and other security agencies to ensure coordinated actions and intensify simultaneous kinetic operations against these terrorists until they are decimated to the point of surrender.” he said.
Earlier, the Governor disclosed that the states implemented several measures including the telecoms shutdown as recommended by the security agencies to enable kinetic operations.
El-Rufai who commended the people of the state for the sacrifices they made during the shutdown, reiterated that some of the measures like prohibition of (a) the sale of petroleum products, (b) operation of weekly markets in selected areas, and (c) use of motorcycles remain in place until they have seen clear progress in the fight against the terrorists.
“We are in no doubt that that there must be an urgent national effort to strengthen our security forces. The military and police need modern technology, advanced armaments, equipment and more boots on the ground.
“The security of our communities depends on the robust projection of state power, and that can only be done with sufficient security personnel to overawe and deter criminals.
“The prerogatives of the state need to be asserted, not merely proclaimed. The people we put in uniform must never be placed in avoidable danger, outgunned or outnumbered by non-state actors.
“It is when the terrorists are decimated that ‘soft’, non-kinetic peace building will gain traction. Part of the soft tools we have developed in Kaduna State is the Peace Commission, empowered to engage our communities and incline them towards a peaceful resolution of differences.
“We are also supporting the House of Kaduna Family as a vital platform for religious leaders to promote a common humanity across our diversity,” he stressed.
El-Rufai appealed to the Federal Government to create a Theatre Command similar to the situation in the North-East to confront the insurgency that has clearly emerged in five states of the North-West and Niger State with continuous and contiguous forest ranges.
“The creation of such a Theatre Command will enable holistic approach to counter-insurgent operations across the six affected states and the enhanced coordination of the resources of the Armed Forces, the Police, the SSS, our respective State Vigilance Services, hunters and other local volunteers to fight the insurgents.” he stated.
The Governor expressed his gratitude to the Emirs and Chiefs for being the leading and influential anchors of peaceful coexistence in our various communities.
“Our Peace Commissioners and the House of Kaduna Family deserve exceptional recognition and our gratitude.
“We are grateful to the security agencies, particularly the Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, Civil Defence, SSS, our State Vigilance Service and KASTLEA for constant collaboration with our Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs in the hard work of securing the state,” he said.
