North-West: Buhari Govt Slowing Down Efforts To End Banditry – El-Rufai

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai has accused the Federal Government of slowing down efforts of northwest governors to end banditry in the region.

El-Rufai lamented that as the Governor of the state he controls no security assets because security agencies take their orders from Abuja.

He added that Governors from the North-West at various times have taken steps to end banditry but the action of the federal government is slowing them down.

The Kaduna State Governor stated this while speaking on Channels TV on Wednesday.

El-Rufai, however, expressed optimism that the effort of the military and police will soon bring an end to bandit terrorist activities in the region.

The Kaduna Governor when asked if he his action towards banditry is restrained due to the security architecture in the country 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 is dismembering them and I think we are coming to the end of it by the grace of God.”