The Kaduna State Government has called for the creation of a Theatre Command in the state.
The state Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, made the call at the presentation of the state’s 2021 Annual Security Report, held at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, on Tuesday.
He said the call had become necessary in order to confront the insurgency in the state.
“The Kaduna State Government appeals to the Federal Government to create a Theatre Command similar to the situation in the North-East to confront the insurgency that has clearly emerged in five states of the North-West and Niger State with continuous and contiguous forest ranges”.
“The creation of such a Theatre Command will enable holistic approach to counter-insurgent operations across the six affected states and the enhanced coordination of the resources of the Armed Forces, the Police, the SSS, our respective State Vigilance Services, hunters and other local volunteers to fight the insurgents”.
Speaking further, the governor said the 2021 Security Report, showed that an average of 9 persons were kidnapped daily across Kaduna State, mostly in the Kaduna Central senatorial district.
“The 2021 Security Report is the second annual presentation on security incidents in Kaduna State to be published since 2019. Like the 2020 maiden edition, the report is a sobering reading because it is a factual account of a challenging situation. Its pages contain hard data which reflect the pains inflicted on our people across the state by criminals and outlaws. The report also provides background and an update on the steps being taken by the Kaduna State Government to manage this serious challenge”.
“The report presented today shows that in 2021, and an average of 9 persons were kidnapped daily across Kaduna State, mostly in the Kaduna Central senatorial district. There is also an escalation in the number of persons killed by a whopping 255 compared to those sadly killed by banditry and criminality in 2020 in spite of our best efforts in supporting the Federal security agencies to bring an end to this phenomenon”, he said.
Furthermore, the governor expressed sadness over the escalation of violence in Zangon-Kataf Chiefdom and called for an end to the crisis.
“We note with sadness once again, the escalation of violence in Zangon-Kataf Chiefdom, which appears to be rapidly spilling into the Chawai part of Kauru Local Government. We condemn the disregard for human life and the violations of law that are fuelling the crisis. We sympathise with the affected communities. This outbreak of violence is a serious challenge to the community level peace process initiated by His Highness, the Agwam of Zangon Kataf and community leaders in the area. While the security agencies keep trying their best, the peacemakers on the ground should not be discouraged. Peace is worth every effort, despite the setbacks encountered”.
Gov. El-Rufai thanked Emirs and Chiefs for their roles in ensuring peaceful coexistence in their domains.
“Let me at this juncture, extend our sincere gratitude to our Emirs and Chiefs for being the leading and influential anchors of peaceful coexistence in our various communities. Our Peace Commissioners and the House of Kaduna Family deserve exceptional recognition and our gratitude”.
Also, he expressed gratitude to security agencies for their cooperation with the state government to secure the state.
“We are grateful to the security agencies, particularly the Army, Air Force, Navy, Police, Civil Defence, SSS, our State Vigilance Service and KASTLEA for constant collaboration with our Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs in the hard work of securing the state”.
