Kaduna Bandits: My Regret As A Governor__Nasir El-Rufai

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Remarks by Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State, at the presentation of the Kaduna State Security Incidents Report for the Second Quarter of 2021, held in Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, on Tuesday, 13th July 2021

• We have just been presented with another set of sobering statistics on the state of security in Kaduna State.
• The data on security incidents in the state during the second quarter of 2021 reflects the real agony of our citizens and communities, their pains and losses, and the fears and anxiety that have created considerable distress. The report also outlines what the Kaduna State Government and the security agencies are doing to contain the situation and relieve the situation in our communities.
• The report just presented by our Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs shows that security incidents happened all over the state in the three months from April to June 2021.
• The Kaduna Central Senatorial District remains the most impacted by these incidents, as it was in the Security Incidents Reports for 2020 and the first quarter of 2021.

• As Governor of this state, it is a matter of profound regret for me that our considerable investments in security are yet to manifest in the defeat or at least the considerable degradation of the criminals that menace our people. We have consistently supported the federal security agencies deployed to our state with logistics and equipment. Apart from these recurrent expenses, the Kaduna State Government has undertaken capital expenditure to provide facilities that can multiply the capacity of security agencies to deter crime and conduct effective investigations of those that do occur. We created the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs to provide a specialised institution to coordinate these investments and our liaison with the federal security agencies.
• It is clear to us that these considerable investments require structural changes in the security sector for their effectiveness. Citizens who have been affected by crime and insecurity are not interested in the distinctions between the federal and state governments in terms of their powers over security. As a state government, we have also seen at close quarters how the federal security agencies are limited by manpower deficits. 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.
• Therefore, the state government must be empowered and supported by the Federal Government to make up the manpower deficit in the security sector.
• An unconventional approach is required to enable us better to protect our communities and we are engaging with the Federal Government and the leadership of the security agencies on this. We are pursuing this initiative, even as we nudge the Federal Government to launch simultaneous operations across all the seven states of the Northwest and Niger State.

• We are also trying to strengthen the soft component of our peace and security strategy. The Kaduna State Peace Commission has launched its Conflict Early Warning and Early Response System (CEWERS) while the House of Kaduna Family continues its active engagements.
• I am saddened to note that banditry continues to complicate communal relations in our mixed communities, leading to loss of lives and property.
• I urge community and traditional leaders in Zangon Kataf and Jema’a local government areas not to relent in their drive for peace despite the current challenges.