Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State has said that the insurgency in the North-West is not only more serious than what exists now in the North-East, but warned that it presents a clear danger to the holding of the 2023 elections and census if not nipped in the bud now.
The Governor therefore reiterated his appeal for a North-West Theatre Command which will enable an holistic approach to counter-insurgency operations across the affected states.
He also said that the proposed Theatre Command will enhance the ‘’coordination of the resources of the Armed Forces, the Police, the SSS, our respective State Vigilance Services, hunters and other local volunteers to fight the insurgents”.
The governor gave these advise at the presentation of the state’s Security Reports for the second and third quarters of 2022, held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, on Friday.
While justifying the presentation of the security reports, El Rufai noted that ‘’we publish these reports in fulfilment of our obligation to the residents of this state.’’
‘’Citizens have legitimate expectations to be provided with consistently accurate accounts of what is going on and to be updated on the measures being taken to address the security challenge,’’ he said.
The governor who lamented that the security report still shows that killings, kidnappings, injuries and threats to the livelihoods have continued, prayed for the repose of the souls of those killed, paid tribute to the victims of various crimes and reiterated solidarity with them.
He however stated that ‘’ figures show a pattern of reductions in the gravity of security incidents in the second and third quarters of 2022, compared to the first quarter”.
According to him, ‘’this is a consequence of the intensification of offensive security operations against the bandits in recent months”.
