Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani has insisted that kinetic approach alone cannot resolve insecurity.
The governor stated this at the public presentation of ‘’Where I Stand’’, a book written by the late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, which was translated by Sheikh Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo into Arabic.
Governor Sani argued that the insecurity in the North West is unlike the Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, which is ideologically-driven, adding that poverty, unemployment and neglect of rural communities are at the heart of banditry.
He explained that insecurity cannot be resolved solely through the use of firearms, noting that whoever makes such a claim is only playing politics.
The governor added that Nigeria’s security manpower has reduced despite the country’s massive population growth in the last 45 years.
Stressing his point, Sani said after the civil war in 1970, Nigeria had about 300,000 soldiers, but today they are less than 250,000 while our population has increased by over 100 million.
He lamented the absence of security presence in large parts of the Northwest, saying ‘’if you travel to Zamfara, Birnin Gwari, or the forests of Katsina, you can go for about 50 kilometers without meeting a single policeman, not to talk of a soldier.
According to him, the Kaduna Peace Model which emphasises non-kinetic approach to tackling insecurity, was initiated by the affected communities, involving traditional, religious leaders and other stakeholders.
Citing the case of Birnin Gwari, the Governor disclosed that the Emir spearheaded the return of peace in the area, adding that ‘’we spent six months trying to understand the root causes of insecurity.’’
Governor Uba Sani who said that ‘’we discovered that poverty, unemployment, lack of schools, hospitals, and commerce in rural areas pushed people into crime,’’ insisted that leaders must take responsibility.
“We should not deceive our people by saying President Tinubu or National Security Adviser Ribadu is responsible. We should not expect them to go to Giwa, Birnin Gwari or Dansadau forest to solve the problem for us.
“We were elected by the people, and it is our duty to do everything possible to protect our people. I decided to embark on the non-kinetic approach to address insecurity in Kaduna State because it’s me that God will hold responsible in the hereafter,’’ he added.