Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has called on the Federal Government to urgently spearhead a national effort to strengthen the country’s security forces.

El-Rufai said the Federal Government must address the needs of the State Security Services (SSS), military, and police to improve the security of lives and property in the country.

The governor, who said the Kaduna State Government will continue to do everything within its power to enhance security, stressed that the extent of interventions in security by the state government is constitutionally limited.

He said this at the presentation of the Kaduna State 2022 Annual Security Report and First Quarter 2023 Security Report held at the Government House in Kaduna on Wednesday, April 19.

Governor El-Rufai further stated that his government has invested considerable resources and energy in managing security to the extent that the Nigerian Constitution permits a subnational, adding that the two reports presented by the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, showed there has been some slight year-on-year improvement in fatalities and other incidences of criminality across the state between 2021 and 2022.

El-Rufai noted that the Kaduna State Government did its best to prevent the security challenges bedeviling the state through institutional measures and pragmatic actions on the ground.

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The governor, who listed the measures to include persistent pressures on the Federal Government to launch comprehensive and sustained military operations against the terrorists and criminals attacking the people of Kaduna State, said the offensive security operations against the bandits in the last half of 2022 helped to improve the security situation in the state.

He said: “We thank the Federal Government for finally authorising the launch of these combined military and police offensives. We commend the military and security forces for their efforts and sacrifices as they work to uproot the criminals.

“I wish to stress that in this region, this vital mission requires a comprehensive and consistent sweep, across the Northwest and Niger states for sustained success.

“We appeal for an escalation of security operations over the 39 days remaining till the end of the tenure of this administration and beyond so that the change of baton at the federal level does not result in a dangerous lull that criminal outlaws can exploit.

“There is every reason to intensify and sustain simultaneous ground and air kinetic actions across the seven frontline states of the Northwest region and Niger which have continuous and contiguous forest ranges and are most heavily impacted by this security challenge.

“On our part, the Kaduna State Government will continue to do everything within the powers of a state to enhance security. We have invested considerable resources and energy in managing security to the extent that the Constitution of our nation permits a subnational.

“Our interventions since 2015 include supporting the federal security agencies deployed in our state with vehicles and other logistics, collaborating with other frontline states to fund military operations in the 2015-2016 period, and investments in security infrastructure and technology. The lessons learnt in the 2016-2019 period informed our decision to establish the first sub-national Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs at the beginning of our second-term in 2019.

“The mandate of the Ministry is to manage the state government’s relationship with the federal security agencies deployed in the state and to coordinate their activities towards securing our people in an atmosphere of unprecedented challenges. This entails building strong relationships with these agencies. Through the Ministry, the state is deepening intelligence gathering from communities. It also runs the 24-hour Security Operations Room.

“But the extent of interventions in security by the State Government can do is constitutionally limited. The Federal Government has to more vigorously exercise its constitutional powers and urgently spearhead a national effort to strengthen our security forces.

“The Federal Government has to sustain the effort to promptly address the needs of the SSS, military, and police for modern technology, advanced armaments, equipment and more boots on the ground,” Governor El-Rufai stated.

El-Rufai said the security reports presented on Wednesday would be passed to the Kaduna State Governor-elect, Senator Uba Sani, adding that the lawmaker would continue the engagements with the Federal Government to decentralise policing and improve the security of the state.

The governor, who thanked security agencies for their constant collaboration with the Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs in securing the state, expressed his appreciation to Emirs, Chiefs, and other community leaders for “being the leading and influential anchors of peaceful coexistence and intelligence-gathering in our various urban and rural communities.”

“Our State Peace Commissioners and the House of Kaduna Family deserve exceptional recognition and our gratitude for their efforts in peacemaking and peace-building,” he added.

El-Rufai, while paying tribute to those killed in Kaduna State, prayed for the repose of the victims.

The Star