Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has cautioned opposition politicians against politicising insecurity by suggesting that bandits can be “carpet-bombed” out of existence.
The governor gave the warning at the public presentation of Where I Stand, a book written by the late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi and translated into Arabic by Sheikh Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo. The event was organised by Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) on Saturday.
Representing President Bola Tinubu as Special Guest of Honour and Chief Host, Sani said insecurity in the North West differs from the ideologically-driven Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, stressing that poverty, unemployment, and rural neglect drive banditry.
“Insecurity cannot be resolved solely through the use of firearms. Whoever makes such a claim is only playing politics,” he said. “We must fear God and stop deceiving the people because that approach will not work.”
Sani lamented Nigeria’s declining security manpower despite a rapidly growing population.
“In 1970, after the civil war, Nigeria had about 300,000 soldiers. Today, they are fewer than 250,000, even though our population has grown by over 100 million. How then can anyone say guns alone will solve the problem? It is impossible,” he said.
The governor also decried the lack of security presence in many parts of the North West, noting that vast areas remain unpoliced.
He highlighted the Kaduna Peace Model, a non-kinetic approach to addressing insecurity involving traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community stakeholders.
“In Birnin Gwari, the Emir led peace efforts, and we spent six months studying the root causes of insecurity. We discovered that poverty, unemployment, lack of schools, hospitals, and commerce in rural areas pushed people into crime,” he explained.
Sani insisted that leaders must take responsibility rather than blame the President or the National Security Adviser.
“We were elected by the people, and it is our duty to protect them. I adopted the non-kinetic approach because it is me God will hold accountable in the hereafter,” he said.
