Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai advised security forces to take the war to the terrorists so as to recover the ungoverned forests that they occupy.
El-Rufai said: “These bandits have lost their right to life under our Constitution and must be wiped out in their entirety.
“There is no other way to approach the current insurgency situation today as far as governmental action is concerned.
“The situation in which the security agencies mostly only react to cases of banditry and abduction is unacceptable.
“We are in a war with these terrorists who are challenging the sovereignty and monopoly of the instruments of coercion of the Nigerian state and its territory.
Speaking at the Federal Government Townhall Meeting on National Security in Kaduna on Thursday, he said that taking the battle to the terrorists “will not only cripple the outlaws but will also reassure ordinary citizens, bolster the morale of the security agencies and provide an alternative focus for the energies that are being dissipated on fractious endeavours.’’
The governor lamented that the national level security response to challenges of terrorists has been uncoordinated and ineffective.
According to him, “none of the military services nor other security agencies has been suitably expanded in numbers and equipment for over a decade since the insurgency in the North-East pushed things to a new low.”
“This country does not have enough soldiers, uniformed police and secret police to project state power across its vast swathes, particularly the forests.
“The limited number of boots on the ground are not well equipped and are significantly lacking in the technology that can make their limited numbers matter a lot less,’’ he pointed out.
The governor expressed hope that the Town Hall meeting “will promote the engagements and consensus necessary for effective collective action to secure our country and its people.’’
According to him, a more secure country “enable our law-abiding citizens to engage in their legitimate pursuits, including farming and livestock production, without fear.’’
