Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has faulted the position of his predecessor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai on tackling insecurity, saying that only the use of firearms against bandits cannot address the challenges of insecurity.
El-Rufai had in a recent television interview, accused the Kaduna State Government and federal government of paying bandits.
“My position has always been that any repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s wipe them. Let’s bomb them until they are reduced to nothing….”
However, speaking yesterday in Kaduna at the presentation of a book titled: “Where I Stand’’, written by the late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, which was translated by into Arabic by Sheikh Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo, the governor said whoever claimed the use of firearms to fight bandits can solve the problem “is on only playing politics”.
Sani, who represented President Bola Tinubu as Special Guest at the event, argued that the insecurity in the North-west region is not the same as the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east, which is ideologically-driven.
He added that poverty, unemployment, and neglect of rural communities were the causes of banditry.
“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,” the governor said.
According to him, 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,” he said.
The governor lamented the absence of security presence in large parts of the North-west, 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,” he explained.
According to him, the Kaduna Peace Model, which emphasises a 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.
“We spent six months trying to understand the root causes of insecurity.
“We discovered that poverty, unemployment, lack of schools, hospitals, and commerce in rural areas pushed people into crime.
“We should not deceive our people by saying President Tinubu or National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, is responsible (for insecurity).
“We should not expect them to go to Giwa, Birnin Gwari, or Dansadau forest to solve the problem for us,” the governor said.
The governor maintained that leaders were elected by the people, “and it is our duty to do everything possible to protect our people.”
Speaking further, he said his decision to adopt a non-kinetic approach to address insecurity in Kaduna State was because “it’s me that God will hold responsible in the hereafter.”
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