May 29: El-Rufai Raises Alarm Over Insecurity Ahead of Tinubu’s Swearing-In

Nasir El-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State, has issued a warning that bandits would exploit the nation’s transitional moment to carry out gruesome atrocities.

In light of this, he suggested that security operations against bandits be stepped up throughout the remaining months of the current administration and beyond.

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El-Rufai spoke on Wednesday at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House in Kaduna, the state capital, during the presentation of a security report by Samuel Aruwan, the commissioner of internal security and home affairs.

According to the 2022 annual and first quarter 2023 security reports that were reviewed, 1,266 and 4,973 people were killed and kidnapped in 15 months, respectively.

The tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari and 17 governors will come to an end in less than 40 days.

However, there have been increased attacks by suspected terrorists and bandits in Benue, Zamfara, and Niger since after the general elections.

In the past weeks, no fewer than 75 persons, including internally displaced persons had been murdered in different communities by armed herdsmen in Benue State.

A divisional police officer and two people were killed in a bandit raid on the Maru Local Government headquarters in Zamfara in March.

Numerous towns in Niger State had seen scores of people slaughtered by suspected bandits, including security personnel.

El-Rufai called for sustained simultaneous ground and air kinetic actions across the seven frontline states of the North-West zone and Niger, which had contiguous forest ranges and is most heavily impacted by the security challenge, in response to the security reports delivered by the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs.

He said the operation was to prevent a dangerous lull during the transition period at the federal level which the criminal outlaws could exploit.

The governor observed that the reports on the security situation in the state provided detailed data on the persistence of the security challenges in the state.

El-Rufai said, “Though grim, these reports are published in fulfilment of the obligation of transparency that the government owes the residents of this state.

“Just as they have a right to updates on the progress in investments, revenue generation and other happy events, citizens have legitimate expectations to be provided with consistently accurate accounts of what is going on and on the measures being taken to address security challenges.

“The two reports just presented by Samuel Aruwan, our Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, indicate the persistence of security challenges, including terrorism, banditry, and the unfortunate toll in killings, kidnappings, injuries and threats to the livelihoods of our people.

“We regret the pain and losses, pray for the repose of the souls of those killed, pay tribute to the victims of various crimes and reiterate our solidarity with them.’’

Speaking further, he noted, “As the statistics presented show, there has been some slight year-on-year improvement in fatalities and other incidences of criminality across the state between 2021 and 2022. We hope that with your combined efforts, this downward trend will continue towards zero in the shortest possible time.

“The Kaduna State Government does its level best to prevent these sad events through institutional measures and pragmatic actions on the ground.

“These measures include persistent pressures on the Federal Government to launch comprehensive and sustained military operations against the terrorists and criminal elements that are menacing our people and their lives, liberty and livelihoods.

“We note with gratitude that the military initiated offensive security operations against the bandits in the last half of 2022. As observed earlier, this helped to improve the security situation in many of our communities but these operations must obviously be widened and sustained as the most effective way to protect our people and uphold law and order.”