The Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III, has predicted that Nigeria would spend decades to bring sanity to the terrorism and bandit-ravaged North-West geopolitical zone.
Abubakar made the statement at the North-West Peace and Security Summit in Katsina State on Monday.
With its theme as, “Regional Cooperation for Securing Lives and Livelihoods in North-West Nigeria, the summit was graced by Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Ahmed Tinubu; ex-President Muhammadu Buhari; governors of the seven states in the North-West geopolitical zone; service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police.
The Sultan said: “What we must do is to challenge these bandits because we all know the consequences of banditry and insurgency on our lives. But it will take decades to get out of it if all we get out of it. We all know the consequences and the problems.”
Expressing the readiness of traditional rulers to partner with security agencies and the governors of the geopolitical zone, he said they must join hands to “save our region from the numerous problems” of banditry and insurgency.
Declaring open the event, President Tinubu, who spoke through Vice President Shettima, stated: “What we are witnessing across the North is an explosion of these damaged relationships, and we have come to say: Enough is enough. Our first decision was to task our brothers from the North-West and the North-East with the defence and security of the region.
“Who else can better understand the complexity of the crisis of a region than the people themselves? This has been a turning point, and I am proud to share that the strategies we have employed have begun to provide redemption. We are not slowing down until we achieve our aim.”
President Tinubu described the two-day Summit as a communal gathering to address what he termed “the afflictions that have threatened the stability and unity of the North.
“Beyond the economic rationale that drove the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria, the formation of our great nation was inspired by the need for mutual protection. But, I ask, how can we achieve this sacred objective if one part is afflicted?
“We have long established that whatever ails any part of this federation destabilizes the other. So, the issue of national security in the North-West is not a sectional agenda. We promised to make Nigeria safer, and this aim has been our topmost priority since we came to office over a year ago.”
In order to come up with pragmatic solutions to security challenges in the North West, President Tinubu said his administration adopted kinetic and non-kinetic interventions designed to build the perimeter of the nation’s security infrastructure.
He mentioned the Pulaku resettlement initiative as one of the non-kinetic interventions rolled out by his administration, saying it is a timely solution to address some of the root causes of disputes and insecurity in the North-West.
He explained: “Our choice of Sokoto, Kebbi, Benue, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger, and Kaduna States for the pilot phase is strategically planned to create positive, nationwide transformations. The comprehensive plan includes building residences, roads, schools, and essential facilities, fulfilling our pledge to the nation.
“This effort symbolises our commitment to sustainable development and a unified, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria, transforming our diversity into strength. Today, I believe we are going to continue comparing our ideas and thoughts to not only review our strategies and improve upon them to make the states in the North-West stable and peaceful parts of the nation, but to assure ourselves that we cannot achieve the triumph we desire without any part of the nation being secure.”
Earlier in his welcome address, Katsina State Governor, Umaru Radda, lamented that the activities of banditry in the state and other parts of the North West, including Niger State, have cast shadows on most of the communities, crippling social economic activities in the areas.
Governor Radda, who is the chairman of the North-West Governors’ Forum, noted that the forum will not allow the menace of banditry to defile the region.
He said, “As leaders, we must adopt a multifaceted approach that includes robust intelligence gathering, community policing and deploying advanced security technology. Furthermore, to enhance the capacity of our national security forces, we will continue to improve it and provide adequate resources.
“To effectively combat banditry, we need to strengthen intelligence gathering networks. This means improving our surveillance system, investing in modern technology such as drones and satellite imagery and enhancing coordination among our security agencies. We must establish the most efficient communication to ensure timely response to threats.”
The summit was also attended by Governors Umar Namadi of Jigawa State, Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State as well as the Deputy Governors of Kaduna, Kebbi and Kano States. Also, federal lawmakers from the region were in attendance.
Others were former governors of Katsina State, Aminu Masari and Ibrahim Shema; Minister of Arts and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musawa; the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar; Emir of Daura, HRH Alhaji Umar Farouk Umar; Emir of Katsina, HRH. Abdulmumuni Kabir Usman; representatives of other security chiefs, and members of the Diplomatic Corps, among others.
