Gov. Dikko Radda of Kastina State says the fight against security challenge requires collaborative efforts.
Radda stated this on Friday in Abuja when he spoke with newsmen, adding that although he had been receiving threats, he was determined to address security challenges in the state.
He said that in spite of the huge burden on the state and its limited funds, his administration had invested heavily on security, but needed the collaboration of neighbouring states to succeed.
“I have been receiving threats, but that will not deter me in any way, we are seeking collaborative efforts with all. We cannot achieve good success without the cooperation of neighbouring states.
“I alone can’t fight insecurity, we need the cooperation of all stakeholders to address and arrest the situation, including neighbouring states, and even the Federal Government.
“It is a collective responsibility, the society has to wake up, we have to confront the situation head-on, even with the support of community members.
“I am therefore calling on members of communities to support security agencies by providing information on suspicious characters in their areas,” he said.
He said that security challenge been worrisome to him, adding that as a state bedeviled with a high rate of insecurity, he was giving priority to tackling the problem.
This, he said, necessitated the establishment of the state’s Community Watch Corps with membership drawn from the local communities.
He said that the aim of recruiting and training members of the corps was to support conventional security personnel in addressing security challenge.
“We didn’t consider certificates or qualifications in recruiting members of the Community Watch , what we are concerned about is their ability to protect their parents and loved ones.
“The reason we chose them is because they are directly affected: their parents were killed, their sisters were raped, so they have more courage to do the job. The locals know the terrain better and with their support, we can make a headway.
“We have in place intelligence units to check the excesses of the Community Watch Corps and the activities of other members of the state.
“We are not sparing anyone, not even traditional rulers. We are also seeking reforms to ensure that our people are able to arm themselves legally,” the governor said.
He said insecurity was more visible in the North-West than in the North-East, adding that there was need for the federal government to focus more in the region.
“Katsina State is one of the states that is affected by banditry, kidnapping and all sorts of criminalities. Lives and property are lost.
“People are being disrupted from performing their daily legal activities in terms of economic development of the state, and the essence of government is to protect the lives and property of the people.
“Support North-West now in terms of security, because we need your support more than any other zone in the region,” he said.
He said that 85 per cent of the population of the area was engaged in agriculture, saying that productivity had been greatly affected by activities of bandits.
NAN
