On Wednesday, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the Governor of Kaduna State, spoke at the presentation of the state’s 2022 Annual Security Report and First Quarter 2023 Security Report held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House in Kaduna. In his speech, El-Rufai welcomed distinguished guests to the presentation of the two reports and emphasized the importance of transparency in reporting the security situation in the state.
He acknowledged the persistence of security challenges in the state, including terrorism, banditry, and various forms of criminality, and expressed regret over the toll these challenges have taken on the state’s citizens.
While El-Rufai noted some slight improvement in security indicators between 2021 and 2022, he emphasized that security challenges in the state persisted. He commended the federal government for launching combined military and police offensives against criminal elements in the state and called for an escalation of these operations over the next 39 days, which remain until the end of the tenure of this administration and beyond. He also appealed for simultaneous ground and air kinetic actions across the seven frontline states of the Northwest region and Niger, which have continuous and contiguous forest ranges and are most heavily impacted by this security challenge.
El-Rufai highlighted the state’s efforts to prevent insecurity through institutional measures and pragmatic actions on the ground, including persistent pressure on the federal government to launch comprehensive and sustained military operations against terrorists and criminal elements that menace the state. He acknowledged the constitutional limitations on the extent of the state’s interventions in security and urged the federal government to exercise its constitutional powers more vigorously and spearhead a national effort to strengthen the country’s security forces.
El-Rufai expressed gratitude to the security agencies for their constant collaboration with the state’s Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs and acknowledged the Emirs and Chiefs and other community leaders for being the leading and influential anchors of peaceful coexistence and intelligence-gathering in various urban and rural communities. He recognized the hard work and sacrifices of the security agency heads that have contributed in no small way to making Kaduna State a much safer place than it was before 2015.
El-Rufai concluded his speech by welcoming the new GOC, Major-General Olufemi Akinjobi, back to Kaduna and paying tribute to his immediate predecessor, Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja, for his hands-on leadership in addressing security challenges in the state during his short period of stewardship. El-Rufai expressed sadness over the loss of Brigadier-General Opurum to another posting in the North-East and noted with concern the continued failure of traditional and community leaders in Zangon Kataf Chiefdom to prevent resort to self-help by recalcitrant youths. He assured the audience that actions would be taken to send a message in this regard. Finally, he prayed for journey mercies for all and wished everyone God’s blessings.
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