KADUNA AND UBA SANI’S MASTERSTROKE AGAINST INSECURITY

“A situation where criminals with access to instruments of violence operate with ease, is certainly a major cause for concern to anybody interested in the security and welfare of the people” – Sen. Uba Sani, November 2020

By Nasir Dambatta

In a world ravaged by various forms of insecurity, the major focus of political leaders has become increasingly concentrated on combating the calamity and managing of the attendant humanitarian crises causing massive ruination on all sectors of the life of the societies affected by insecurity.

In the current world, the leader of every insecurity-troubled society deploys some of his most-critical policies, programmes and projects to combating insecurity and restoring security as the cine qua non and bedrock of every sustainable development and prosperity.

More than ever before, no credible, committed and competent leader in the current world trifles with the issue of security, which is the most-crucial imperative for the entire existence and its attendant growth and prosperity.

Kaduna State has, in recent years, become one of the most insecurity-ravaged states of Nigeria. The twin crimes of banditry and kidnapping and an emerging crime mix, in a terrain troubled for over two decades by communal conflicts, have sworn to ensure that the state knows no peace that can guarantee growth and development.

Immediately after taking over the reigns of power as governor on May 29, 2023, Senator Uba Sani fixed his major focus on new methods of tackling all forms of communal conflicts, banditry and kidnapping, along with all dimensions of criminality troubling the state and retarding its growth and development.

Governor Sani, in continuation of his strategic engagement with top Federal Government officials responsible for security in order to strengthen the existing partnerships in the fight against banditry in Kaduna State, met with the Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Geidam, and the Minister of State, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim in Abuja on September 7, 2023.

The governor and the two ministers shared thoughts on the security situation in Kaduna State, the imperative of creative and innovative strategies, and the ongoing cooperation between the Kaduna State Government and the Nigeria Police Force in the training of the personnel of the Kaduna Vigilance Service.

The Police Affairs Minister reportedly expressed a firm commitment to work with the Kaduna State Government to strengthen the Kaduna Vigilance Service and reenergize Police operations against banditry and other forms of criminality in Kaduna State.

Driven by Governor Sani’s capacity and commitment, the Kaduna State Government, on September 2, 2023, took a major step towards reenergizing the fight against banditry with the commencement of training for 7,000 recruits of the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS) at the Police College, Kaduna.

While flagging off the training, Governor Sani charged the recruits to imbibe the critical values of seriousness and commitment while warning them to, in the discharge of their duties, desist from violating the rights of the citizens. He also warned that he would not hesitate to deal with any of them caught flouting the operational guidelines or code of conduct of the Service.

He also disclosed that the recruitment and screening of the trainees was the collaborative efforts of the state’s local government chairmen, traditional and religious leaders, key stakeholders at the grassroots level, and security agencies. An elated Governor Sani expressed confidence that the screening, which was very thorough, had produced energetic young men and women of transparent honesty who are committed to securing the local communities across the state.

Governor Sani recalled that since its establishment, KADVS has been working with security agencies to degrade criminal elements, but it, along the way, faced the challenge of inadequate personnel to successfully wage the battle against bandits and other criminal elements.

It was therefore understandable that in order to surmount this challenge, Governor Sani’s administration decided to recruit 7,000 personnel into the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS).

In keeping to his administration’s commitment to forging partnerships with security agencies in order to tackle current and emerging security threats in Kaduna State, the Governor also held separate meetings with the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj. Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Abubakar.

Although successes have been recorded in the fight against insecurity in Kaduna State, the governor reminded the service chiefs on the need to consolidate on the successes.

In furtherance of the efforts to tackle Kaduna’s insecurity challenge, he delayed no action in exploring other avenues. Days after meeting with the service chiefs, Governor Uba Sani met with National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, to up the ante of the innovative approach to Kaduna’s security challenges by charting the best obtainable course for surmounting them.

In all the meetings so far, Uba pledged maximum cooperation and support from the state government to enable the security agencies carry out their vital role of securing the lives and properties of citizens.

Given these crucial meetings with the country’s security establishments, Kaduna State is rightly positioned for the restoration of sustained security to resuscitate rapid growth and development in all aspects of the economy.
The renewed effort of consultations with relevant stakeholders and plan to adopt cutting-edge technology will definitely be helpful to achieving of the Governor’s 7-Point Agenda.

Dambatta is Senior Special Assistant to Kaduna State Governor on Print Media