Kano State Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje has stated that in his seven years in power, his administration had eliminated the terrorists’ Central Command.
Ganduje claimed that the development has driven terrorists out of the state.
The governor, who attributed his successes in reducing lingering attacks and other similar criminalities to the synergy between his government and security, suggested that other governors across Nigeria take a similar strategy to addressing their particular states’ security concerns.
The governor then asked his colleagues to work fully and effectively with their respective states’ security authorities to combat terrorism.
Ganduje made this known in a paper entitled “Challenges of Insecurity and Nation Building,” which he presented at the 2020 Alumni Lecture of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association, Worldwide, held at Dame Edith Okowa Auditorium of the university, Friday.
He said, “Let me emphasise that state governments need to cooperate and work together with security agencies in dealing with the situation (insecurity) at hand.”
Governor added that Kano has seen the benefits of this synergic engagement with security agencies at different levels.
He added, “Through it, we were able to identify and destroy the central command of the dreaded terrorists group and dealt a blow to their operations in Kano, amongst other criminalities.
On how he was able to achieve that, Ganduje said, “They (security) were provided with logistics and equipment and setting-up of a Police Anti-Cattle Rustling Squad, Ambush Squad and Tactical Observation points along the Falgore Forest, which was hitherto the den of rustling.
“The state government has invested over N1billion on procurement of gadgets and operational vehicles for security operatives in the state.
“The government has also re-organised Vigilante Groups across the state to enhance community policing and complement efforts of conventional security operatives.”
Ganduje further appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari, whom he said made it possible for the existence of a permanent camp for military training ground where the Nigerian Army holds regular military exercises.
Governor Ganduje argued that the menace of insecurity calls for a new approach that would be founded on credible intelligence gathering.
His words, “Government must not only continue to engage the security personnel, but it must also, more than ever before, recognize the need to devote more attention to security intelligence, capacity building to meet the global best practice standard and acquisition of modern technology.”
While observing that there is a need to modernize the security agencies with training, intelligence sharing, advanced technology, logistics, motivation and change of orientation, he assured that with such effort operations could be much more effective.
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