How bandits try to crush rural economy – El-Rufa

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said that bandits have openly tried to crush the rural economy by attacking farmers in their fields and homes.

He said in many states, these criminals continued to menace some highways. Governor El-Rufai spoke at the First Quarter security meeting of North West State Security Directors (SDS) of Department of State Services (DSS), held at the DSS Kaduna State Command on Wednesday.

The Governor who was represented by the State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, called for cooperation between the governments of the other North-Western states and the Federal Security Agencies to bring banditry and terrorism to their kneels.

El-Rufai said: “many northern states – not least our states in the Northwest – are confronting a unique set of security challenges. Criminal activities by bandits have threatened both rural and urban communities. Bandits have openly tried to crush the rural economy by attacking farmers in their fields, and in their homes. In many states, these criminals continue to menace some highways.”

“The Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna State was created in 2019, as the first Ministry dedicated to security coordination created by any State in the Federation. Its creation was informed by the priority rightly accorded matters of security by this administration. The mandates of this Ministry include coordination of internal security matters and intelligence gathering, as well as liaison with Federal security agencies, among which the Department of State Services stands prominent.”

“In pursuing these mandates over the last four years, we have witnessed the progressive streamlining of security coordination, the strengthening of inter-agency collaboration, the creation and sustaining a robust intelligence gathering framework and improved responses to security incidents.”

“Here in Kaduna State, especially over the last 18 months, we welcomed the intensification of ground and air action against the bandits, and we are most grateful to the Federal Security Agencies for these operations and the successes recorded.”

“Hundreds of bandits have been neutralized and numerous camps destroyed. We acknowledge with appreciation that these achievements were in large part, a result of the close cooperation and support built between the Kaduna State Government and the Department of State Services.”

“During the last quarterly session of State Directors of Security held here nearly two years ago, we highlighted the importance of collaboration in the framework of security management. That importance has not diminished. If anything, it is even more pertinent as we seek to amplify our localized successes across the Northwest.”

“While we commend the unprecedented levels of collaboration over the common challenge of rural banditry and terrorism, one fact stands out clearly: the fight against banditry and terrorism in our states, has become even more condensed into one fight.”

“Crucially, we must continue to strive for superior knowledge in these efforts to achieve greater precision, improved coherence between commands, reduced risk and enhanced responsiveness,” El-Rufai said.

In his remarks, the State Director of Security in Kaduna State, Abdul Enenche said, the quarterly conference which was an initiative of the DG DSS, was conceived based on the realization that threats in the country were not limited to one state.

He said “it was realized that each of the regions has its peculiar security challenge. The idea came up that since we share cases of kidnapping, banditry, terrorism/ insurgency, cattle rustling farmers/herders conflict, arms trafficking and communal conflicts in the region. All the threats cut across all the seven states in the Northwest region. “

“Therefore, the 3-day conference meant to interrogate and review the state of security in the Northwest in the first quarter find gaps and forge ahead for the next quarter. But, it is not a job of a single security agency and collaboration has worked so much for us in Kaduna state,” he said.