Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state has urged the federal government to recruit 1,000 youths each from the 774 local governments into security agencies to increase the number of security personnel and boost the fight against insurgency and banditry.
Governor el-Rufai also backed the National Assembly in declaring bandits as terrorists, noting that people who kidnap and kill again and again without remorse, deserved to be declared as terrorists to enable security agencies fight them with all their arsenal.
Speaking on Wednesday while receiving Kaduna state Security Report for the third quarter of 2021, presented by Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, el-Rufai said the state will compensate victims of riot and crises from 2016 till date drawing from the riot damage and compensation fund, adding that he would establish Herders/Farmers Reconciliation Committee to resolve clashes rampant in Southern Kaduna.
“The military and other security agencies have commenced operations against the bandits. These operations, which began in the third quarter, are degrading bandits but they are not yet simultaneous across all the affected states in the North-West region.
“This reflects the limitations that personnel and other resource deficits have imposed on the federal security agencies. There are simply not enough boots on the ground to have credible deployments in most places to protect communities, deter crime and enforce law and order. I call for a consensus between the Federal Government and the 36 states on an emergency programme of recruitment into the security agencies.
“Government can change the game significantly by hiring 1,000 willing youths from each of the 774 LGAs in the country into the security agencies. This will be a surge in numbers that is unprecedented since the civil war.
An influx of 774,000 new boots on the ground will be a significant blow against criminals and an employment boost. “Many state governments in the North-West and the North-Central have adopted an unconventional approach to help the federal security agencies to better protect our communities.
There is no alternative to launching simultaneous operations. “We in the Kaduna state government, have always aligned with the declaration of bandits as insurgents and terrorists. We have written letters to the Federal Government since 2017, asking for this declaration because it is the declaration that will allow the Nigerian military to attack and kill these bandits without any major consequences in international law.
“So, we support the resolution by the National Assembly and we are going to follow up with a letter of support, for the Federal Government to declare these bandits and insurgents as terrorists, so that they will be fair game for our military. This is the view of the Kaduna state government. They don’t deserve mercy and they should not be allowed to live.
“Government can change the game significantly by hiring 1,000 willing youths from each of the 774 LGAs in the country into the security agencies. This will be a surge in numbers that is unprecedented since the civil war. An influx of 774,000 new boots on the ground will be a significant blow against criminals and an employment boost. “Many state governments in the North-West and the North-Central have adopted an unconventional approach to help the federal security agencies to better protect our communities.
There is no alternative to launching simultaneous operations. “We in the Kaduna state government, have always aligned with the declaration of bandits as insurgents and terrorists. We have written letters to the Federal Government since 2017, asking for this declaration because it is the declaration that will allow the Nigerian military to attack and kill these bandits without any major consequences in international law.
“So, we support the resolution by the National Assembly and we are going to follow up with a letter of support, for the Federal Government to declare these bandits and insurgents as terrorists, so that they will be fair game for our military. This is the view of the Kaduna state government. They don’t deserve mercy and they should not be allowed to live.
“Government can change the game significantly by hiring 1,000 willing youths from each of the 774 LGAs in the country into the security agencies. This will be a surge in numbers that is unprecedented since the civil war. An influx of 774,000 new boots on the ground will be a significant blow against criminals and an employment boost.
“Many state governments in the North-West and the North-Central have adopted an unconventional approach to help the federal security agencies to better protect our communities. There is no alternative to launching simultaneous operations. “We in the Kaduna state government, have always aligned with the declaration of bandits as insurgents and terrorists. We have written letters to the Federal Government since 2017, asking for this declaration because it is the declaration that will allow the Nigerian military to attack and kill these bandits without any major consequences in international law.
“So, we support the resolution by the National Assembly and we are going to follow up with a letter of support, for the Federal Government to declare these bandits and insurgents as terrorists, so that they will be fair game for our military. This is the view of the Kaduna state government. They don’t deserve mercy and they should not be allowed to live.
“Government can change the game significantly by hiring 1,000 willing youths from each of the 774 LGAs in the country into the security agencies. This will be a surge in numbers that is unprecedented since the civil war. An influx of 774,000 new boots on the ground will be a significant blow against criminals and an employment boost. “Many state governments in the North-West and the North-Central have adopted an unconventional approach to help the federal security agencies to better protect our communities.
There is no alternative to launching simultaneous operations. “We in the Kaduna state government, have always aligned with the declaration of bandits as insurgents and terrorists. We have written letters to the Federal Government since 2017, asking for this declaration because it is the declaration that will allow the Nigerian military to attack and kill these bandits without any major consequences in international law.
“So, we support the resolution by the National Assembly and we are going to follow up with a letter of support, for the Federal Government to declare these bandits and insurgents as terrorists, so that they will be fair game for our military. This is the view of the Kaduna state government. They don’t deserve mercy and they should not be allowed to live.
“Government can change the game significantly by hiring 1,000 willing youths from each of the 774 LGAs in the country into the security agencies. This will be a surge in numbers that is unprecedented since the civil war. An influx of 774,000 new boots on the ground will be a significant blow against criminals and an employment boost. “Many state governments in the North-West and the North-Central have adopted an unconventional approach to help the federal security agencies to better protect our communities.
There is no alternative to launching simultaneous operations. “We in the Kaduna state government, have always aligned with the declaration of bandits as insurgents and terrorists. We have written letters to the Federal Government since 2017, asking for this declaration because it is the declaration that will allow the Nigerian military to attack and kill these bandits without any major consequences in international law.
“So, we support the resolution by the National Assembly and we are going to follow up with a letter of support, for the Federal Government to declare these bandits and insurgents as terrorists, so that they will be fair game for our military. This is the view of the Kaduna state government. They don’t deserve mercy and they should not be allowed to live.
“Government can change the game significantly by hiring 1,000 willing youths from each of the 774 LGAs in the country into the security agencies. This will be a surge in numbers that is unprecedented since the civil war. An influx of 774,000 new boots on the ground will be a significant blow against criminals and an employment boost. “Many state governments in the North-West and the North-Central have adopted an unconventional approach to help the federal security agencies to better protect our communities.
There is no alternative to launching simultaneous operations. “We in the Kaduna state government, have always aligned with the declaration of bandits as insurgents and terrorists. We have written letters to the Federal Government since 2017, asking for this declaration because it is the declaration that will allow the Nigerian military to attack and kill these bandits without any major consequences in international law.
“So, we support the resolution by the National Assembly and we are going to follow up with a letter of support, for the Federal Government to declare these bandits and insurgents as terrorists, so that they will be fair game for our military. This is the view of the Kaduna state government. They don’t deserve mercy and they should not be allowed to live.
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“We offer our condolences to the security agencies and the families of the security officers that have been killed while trying to keep our people safe. On those that are affected by insecurity. We have a Riot Damage and Compensation Fund for those who are affected from 2016. I am therefore directing the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to draw from the Riot Damage Fund, to pay all those affected, up to, and including this year.
“I would also like to inform security agencies and the traditional leaders here, that we are in the process of establishing a Farmers/ Herdsmen Reconciliation Council at the state level as well as similar committees at the local government and chiefdom and emirate levels. This is backed by a military edict, enacted in the 1990s. We are activating these committees to help in managing clashes between farmers and herdsmen at all levels,” he said.
Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Jibrin Zuberu Maigwari commended the state government and security agencies for the ongoing onslaught on bandits, saying that it is yielding result especially the shutdown of security network, which he said has weaken the bandits forcing them to request for food instead of ransom from their victims.
