By Our Reporter
The governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has restated the position of his government that criminals who take up arms against people and state must face the consequences of their action. He stated further that it is when the terrorists are decimated that other forms of interventions to promote peace by the state can realistically follow and be effective.
It would be recalled that the Kaduna State governor had consistently called for the tagging of bandits as terrorists so that the government would have the opportunity to decisively deal with them and root them out of their hideouts. He was also quick to applaud the action of the Federal Government when this call was approved by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
According to El-Rufai who was speaking during the presentation of the state’s 2021 Annual Security Report, held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, “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.”
The governor further states that efforts of the government to restore peace can only be impactful when terrorists have been completely defeated, even as he enumerates some of the efforts being made by his administration.
He explains that 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.”
The two-term governor points out that his government has been doing everything possible under its power to ensure peace and he also commends all stakeholders for their contribution in this regard.
He points out that, “The state implemented several measures including the telecoms shutdown as recommended by the security agencies to enable kinetic operations. We commend our people for the sacrifices they made during the shutdown. I want to reiterate 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 we see clear progress in the fight against the terrorists.”
He repeated his call for the strengthening of the nation’s security. “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,” he stated.
