Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has urged the opposition to refrain from politicizing the issue of insecurity by making unrealistic claims, such as suggesting that bandits can simply be carpet-bombed into submission or eradication.
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He made this remark during the public presentation of “Where I Stand,” a book authored by the late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi and translated into Arabic by Sheikh Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo.
Governor Sani, who represented President Bola Tinubu as the Special Guest of Honour, also served as the Chief Host at the event, which was organised by Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) on Saturday.
He noted argued that the insecurity in the North West is unlike the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, which is ideologically-driven, adding that poverty, unemployment and neglect of rural communities are at the heart of banditry.
Speaking at the event, the Governor pointed out that “insecurity can’t be resolved solely through the use of firearms.
“Whoever makes such a claim is only playing politics. We must fear God, and stop deceiving the people because that approach will not work.”
Governor Uba Sani noted that Nigeria’s security manpower has reduced despite the country’s massive population growth in the last 45 years.
“In 1970 after the civil war, Nigeria had about 300,000 soldiers, but today they are less than 250,000 while our population has increased by over 100 million.
“How then can anyone say that guns alone will solve the problem? It is impossible,” Uba Sani stressed.
The Governor lamented the absence of security presence in large parts of the Northwest, saying ‘’if you travel to Zamfara, Birnin Gwari, or the forests of Katsina, you can go for about 50 kilometers without meeting a single policeman, not to talk of a soldier. We have vast areas in this country without any security personnel.”
According to him, the Kaduna Peace Model which emphasizes non-kinetic approach to tackling insecurity, was initiated by the affected communities, involving traditional, religious leaders and other stakeholders.
Citing the case of Birnin Gwari, the Governor disclosed that the Emir spearheaded the return of peace in the area, adding that ‘’we spent six months trying to understand the root causes of insecurity.’’
Governor Sani, who said ‘’we discovered that poverty, unemployment, lack of schools, hospitals, and commerce in rural areas pushed people into crime,’’ insisted that leaders must take responsibility.
“We should not deceive our people by saying President Tinubu or National Security Adviser Ribadu is responsible.
“We should not expect them to go to Giwa, Birnin Gwari or Dansadau forest to solve the problem for us,” Uba Sani declared.
“We were elected by the people, and it is our duty to do everything possible to protect our people.
“I decided to embark on the non-kinetic approach to address insecurity in Kaduna State because it’s me that God will hold responsible in the hereafter,’’ Uba Sani added.
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