Governor Of Kaduna Nasiru El-Rufai says he’s determined to end the insecurity crisis before he leaves office in 2023.
The southern part of the state has experienced series of attacks from bandits and Bokoharam which has left hundreds of residents murdered while others displaced.
El-Rufai, who spoke Monday morning on ‘KadInvest 5.0’ aired on Channels Television, said his government has been taking some steps to end the decade-long crisis.
The former FCT minister said the violence fuelled by the intolerance was not met with adequate consequences by past administrations, worsening the crisis which spans decades.
He said the justice system has also been too slow in prosecuting offenders, and that deterrence must be set.
“This is what we inherited; we inherited a legacy of ethnoreligious intolerance that had no consequences, no one was ever really punished for this, this is one problem.
“The other problem was lack of security footprint in Southern Kaduna. The third problem was that even the security agencies that were there but inadequate tended to take sides.
“We’ve taken certain steps to stop that and I want to assure you that I intend to solve this problem. We have reached a tipping point where everyone is tired. We have looked at what has encouraged the problem in the past, we are dealing with it, we are arresting people, we are prosecuting them.”
He added, “The justice system has frustrated us; there are many people who were prosecuted from the 2016/2017 crisis – the first crisis we had – and they are still going through the justice system.
“If we are able to get a few people convicted to send a message that when you do this, there are consequences, I think it will help.
“We have improved the security footprint of Southern Kaduna which has been the recommendation of the commissions of inquiry for decades. We now have an Army Base there, we have a permanent Mobile Police Base there.
“I am determined that I will be the last governor that will have to face this problem. For me, it is a key legacy I want to leave behind.” He said
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