Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State said that establishing State Police remains the big elephant in the room when it comes to states taking charge of providing security for the masses.
According to him, it is essential to understand that the outfits created by some state government to fight insecurity are not traditional law enforcement agencies.
Governor Radda disclosed this at a two-day roundtable on insecurity in
Northern Nigeria, at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, NARC, in Abuja.
The event was themed: “Multi-dimensional Approach to Tackling Insecurity in Northern Nigeria”.
Radda noted that the North West region particularly, in recent years, has faced an alarming surge in various forms of insecurity, including banditry, kidnapping, insurgency, and communal conflicts.
“These challenges have
disrupted the lives of countless Nigerians and hindered economic growth and development in the area. Addressing this crisis requires a concerted effort and a unified approach, transcending state boundaries.
“To understand the significance of regional cooperation in the fight against insecurity, several factors must be considered. The first is the cross-border nature of insecurity.
‘Our experience with bandits shows that they operate freely between
Katsina, Zamfara, and Sokoto. Any effort to push them out of one state leads them to safe havens in neighbouring states, and they often return to their original base,” he said.
The Katsina Chief Executive bemoaned the lack of information sharing between states, saying the situation is contributing to a poorly-coordinated approach by different federal government security agencies operating in the region.
He said: “The level of insecurity has now mandated the need to have open discussions about innovative solutions to fight insecurity. We must take into account all stakeholders and absolutely and immediately provide support and protection to the victims of insecurity.
“The regional approach
requires targeted coordination towards socioeconomic development to reduce poverty and associated insecurity. To this end, the Northwest governors
approached the African Development Bank to solicit investments in agriculture and power.
“We are now embarking on an inaugural Northwest Peace and Security Summit in partnership with UNDP to bring all stakeholders and our best minds together to find solutions to the ongoing insecurity in the region”.
