Northern Governors Laments Alarming Rate of Insecurity in the Region
Northern Governors Laments Alarming Rate of Insecurity in the Region
By ALEX UANGBAOJE
As part of strategy in setting a developmental agenda in rebuilding the Northern part of Nigeria, the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) rose from its meeting lamenting the alarming rate of insecurity in the region.
According to them, “the rate of insecurity in the region is characterised by kidnapping, cattle rustling and sporadic killings of law abiding citizens in cold blood by insurgents and bandits.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of a one day meeting of the Forum in Kaduna yesterday, read by it Chairman Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima.
According to Shettima, “Unemployment, high illiteracy level, arms and drugs proliferation, poverty and incitive are the major causes of insecurity. Others are Almajiri phenomenon, lack of cottage industries to engage unemployed.”
He said governors of some of the states are already meeting to synergies on how to tackle and bring the insecurity challenges to its barest minimum.
He further said “the forum agreed to setup a committee of Attorney Generals of the Northern States to look into the Criminal Justice System, taking into cognizance the current security challenges so as to proffer strict punishments to crimes such as cattle rustling, kidnapping, terrorism, rape and domestic violence.”
They also condemned the bomb blast that occurred earlier in the day in Adamawa State at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps which led to the loss of innocent lives.
“The Forum also appreciate the initiation of the Joint Multinational Task Force, as well as relocating the command and control structure of the security forces to the epic centre of Boko Haram, Borno State.
“This has turned the tide against the insurgents, hence, their capacity has been greatly degraded.
“The Forum appreciate the efforts of security agencies for the continued onslaught on insurgents and terrorists in the North-east.
“However, the Federal Government was called upon to recruit more security personnel to enhance their capacity to cope with various security challenges.” Shettima said.
They commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his total commitment and willful determination for the successes so far recorded against the insurgents.
President Buhari “right from the onset prioritised the defeat of Boko haram as one of the cardinal objectives of his administration. This was clearly manifested in the foreign trips he undertook immediately after coming to office to our neighbouring countries as well as Europe and United States.” He noted.
The forum equally resolved to have bilateral and multilateral cooperation with organisations and international institutions in order to explore the opportunity of reviving some of its ailing industries like Kaduna Textile Limited (KTL), New Nigerian Newspapers Limited (NNN) and to partner with the region’s owned New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC) in order to foster rapid socio-economic development in the region and the nation in general.
