GOVERNOR Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State says the Federal Government is slowing the efforts of North-West governors to end banditry in the region.
Governor el-Rufai, who spoke during a Channels TV programme yesterday, decried that as a governor of a state, he has no control of the security assets in the state, as security agencies take orders from Abuja.
Although the governor expressed optimism that the effort of the military and police will soon end the activities of bandits and terrorists in the region, he said governors from the region at various times, took steps to end the crimes perpetrated by bandits but were slowed down by the action of the Federal Government.
Responding to a question on if the security architecture in the country has restrained his actions against banditry, el-Rufai said, “Yes, it can be very frustrating sometimes because as state governor, I am supposed to be the chief security officer of my state but as I have explained several times, the state governors control no security assets at all.
“These are federal security assets and while they collaborate with us to some extent, at the end of the day, they take their orders from Abuja. There are some things that we want to be done but are not done.
“We have been meeting as governors of eight frontline states and we have very clear strategies and plans to end this banditry but the constraints on the federal sides sometimes slow us down. But we are working together more collaboratively.
“Right now, I think we have turned the corner. I think the issue of banditry in the North-West is at a tipping point and very soon, we are going to see the end of it. The aggressive military and police operations across the air are dismembering them and I think we are coming to the end of it by the grace of God.”
