Declare bandits as terrorists, El-Rufai tells FG

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has urged the Federal Government to declare bandits as terrorists so as to allow the Nigerian military deal with them without any major consequences in international law.

The governor spoke at the presentation of the Kaduna State Security Incidents Report for the Third Quarter of 2021 in Kaduna on Wednesday, saying “we in the Kaduna State Government, have always aligned with the declaration of bandits as insurgents and terrorists.

“We have written letters to the Federal Government since 2017, asking for this declaration because it is the declaration that will allow the Nigerian military to attack and kill these bandits without any major consequences in international law.”

“So, we support the resolution by the National Assembly and we are going to follow up with a letter of support, for the Federal Government to declare these bandits and insurgents as terrorists so that they will be fair game for our military. This is the view of the Kaduna State Government,” he said.

The governor also called for a consensus between the Federal Government and the 36 states on an emergency programme of recruitment into the security agencies.

He said the government can change the game significantly by hiring 1,000 willing youths from each of the 774 LGAs in the country into the security agencies.

“This will be a surge in numbers that is unprecedented since the civil war. An influx of 774,000 new boots on the ground will be a significant blow against criminals and an employment boost,” he said

He announced that next Saturday, the two local governments of Birnin Gwari and Zangon Kataf where elections were postponed for security reasons, will be having their own local government elections.

He however warned that if elections did not take place as scheduled on that date, they would have no option other than to appoint administrators to manage these local governments for the next three years.

He said, “Our Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs has just presented its report on security incidents in Kaduna State within the third quarter of 2021. It is a sobering report, reflecting the real agony of our citizens and communities, their pains and losses, and the fears and anxiety that have created considerable distress.

“The report puts the statistics in context, analyses the pattern of violence and outlines what the Kaduna State Government and the security agencies are doing to contain the situation and relieve the situation in our communities. These figures indicate the continuing severity of the security situation. In our view, this compels an obligation to transparency on the part of the managers of security.

“It acknowledges the pain of our people, reflects precise figures on the nature and pattern of security incidents and provides the public factual information on this unprecedented challenge.”