Banditry, Kidnapping: North West Governors working at cross purposes, says El-Rufai

Lack of unity and cooperation among the governors of the North West in tackling banditry and kidnapping has worsened insecurity in the region, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has said.

El-Rufai said the governors have different approaches to ending banditry and kidnapping, adding that this would not bring a lasting solution to the security challenge, which has claimed hundreds of lives of recent.

He also said he was not comfortable with amnesty for criminals terrorising the North West geopolitical zone, even as he called for an enduring approach to tackle the menace.

The states in the North West are Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara.

El-Rufai said if the governors did not coalesce into a single force and adopt a common approach, it will be difficult for any of them to tackle the problem.

Until a few years ago, the region was generally peaceful but recent events in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kaduna, Katsina, and to a certain extent Kebbi, the North West is now another major regional theatre of violence, like the North East where Boko Haram terrorists have wreaked havoc for over 11 years.

El-Rufai’s frustrations

Governor El-Rufai who spoke in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Monday picked holes in the decision by some governors to engage in dialogue with the bandits, saying he will not negotiate or forgive any of them.

He said during their first tenure as governors they were united and recorded successes in fighting cow rustlers.

The second term governors include: El-Rufai (Kaduna); Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano); Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina); Muhammad Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa); Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto); and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi).

Governor Bello Mohammed Matawalle of Zamfara is in his first term.

The governors had before the 2019 elections held meetings during which they reviewed their security approaches in tackling banditry, kidnapping, and other criminal activities in the region.

El Rufai said: “The first time we came as governors we were able to unite and fight against cattle rustling; that one has worked.

“But when we attempted to unite and fight against bandits and kidnappers, it was not successful. Every state is on its own.

“This issue of banditry and kidnapping, if we don’t unite and get support from the federal government, we cannot succeed.

“We need to unite and cooperate among ourselves and then the federal government supports us with the air force, army, and police to go into the bush and kill them at once. This is the only solution.

“Honestly, there is no unity among us, the governors. Everyone is adopting a different strategy.

“But like in Kaduna, we unite with Niger State (from North Central), we are doing everything together.

“The governor used to call me from time to time; we are comparing notes and doing things together. The other states are not like that.

“In some states, the governors think that they should dialogue with the bandits and forgive them to stop what they are doing. I don’t agree with that.

“In Kaduna, we are telling the bandits we will not forgive them and no dialogue with them … If we catch any of them he is dead.

“So, we are in a battle with them. But people like the governor of Zamfara State think that dialogue is the best solution, so there are differences and divisions among us,” El-Rufai said.

The governor further added that he does not agree with Dr Ahmad Gumi’s idea of going to the bush to discuss with the bandits that requested to be given compensation and be forgiven.

“Whoever tells me that a Fulani man that is getting millions from kidnapping will go back to his previous lifestyle when he has to sell his cow to get N100,000 or N200,000 in a year is deceiving himself.

“What have we done to the bandits that we have to compensate and forgive them before they will stop their activities? They kill people, burn down houses, kidnap many and they are waiting for us to pay them?

“Ahmad Gumi is my friend and I spoke with him. I told him that most of these Fulani don’t even have a religion.

“We have arrested many of them and they can’t even recite Fatiha. This is what I discussed with him.

“But what he went on doing that we should forgive and compensate them is not acceptable. We didn’t agree with this and we can’t forgive them,” the Kaduna governor said. (Daily Trust)