Masari Calls on FG to Declare State of Emergency on Security

By Francis Sardauna

As a result of the persistent insecurity in the country, the Katsina State Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, on Saturday called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency on the nation’s security.

The governor added that the declaration of the state of emergency on security would tackle the security challenges, particularly banditry and insurgency in Katsina and other states of the federation.

Masari, who made the call at the third quarter general meeting of the Conference of Speakers in Katsina, said that the security agencies were doing their best to bring an end to the carnage but more needed to be done to ward off the criminals.

The speakers’ meeting with the theme: ‘The Menace of Insecurity in the Country and the Role of State Assemblies to Restore Peace and Order’, which has drawn speakers from the 36 states of Houses of Assembly, is aimed at discussing and proffering solutions to the nation’s security challenges.

He said: “In Katsina State, our major problem is the security challenges we are facing in some parts of the state but with the support of the state House of Assembly, some legal frameworks were put in place while the existing ones were restructured in order to address the security challenges.

“I wish to call on the federal government to declare emergency on the nation’s security in order to bring an end to the loss of lives and property across the state.

“Security agencies are putting in their best to address the security issues across the country but more has to be done to curtail the activities of bandits, cattle rustlers, insurgents and other criminal elements across the country.”

Earlier, the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers, Abubakar Suleiman, said insecurity in the country has constituted a serious threat not only to the the economic growth and development, but also to the peace and unity of the nation.

He said: “Insecurity in our country today has assumed a disturbing dimension and hence constituted a serious threat not only to the economic growth and development but also to the peace and unity of the nation.

“This is the time therefore that all hands must be on deck to fight the menace of insecurity for the good of our nation. As representatives of the people at the grassroots, we are indeed worried and disturbed by the negative trend of the menace of insecurity in the nation.

“We had therefore, convened this meeting to discuss and proffer solutions to this problem within our constitutional mandate and we hope legislative frameworks at the sub-national level adopted will go a long way to complement the efforts of the federal government to check insecurity in the country.”

He, however, called on governors across the 36 states of the federation to grant financial autonomy to both the state Houses of Assembly and the judicial arm of government to enhance what he termed good governance in the country.