Posted by The governor of Katsina State, Dikko Umaru Radda, believes that just as robbers are able to freely purchase firearms on the market, individuals need to be let to do the same for their own protection.
According to him, governors should not be held responsible for the security issues that are plaguing the states in which they serve.
According to him, they are only given the title of top security officers, but they do not have the ability to order the armed forces, the police, or any other security agency in their respective states to deal with security concerns.
Radda, who asked the Federal Government to play a more significant role in safeguarding lives and properties in the country, stated that his administration had lawfully constituted a ‘community watch corps’ to deal with banditry in conjunction with the military. Radda’s request was made in response to the fact that Radda had asked the Federal Government to play a more important role in securing lives and properties in the country.
During an interview with the media held on Friday in Abuja, the Governor of Katsina stated that the bandits are hardened criminals who need to be eradicated, and that as a result, his administration would not leave any stone unturned in order to ensure that they were crushed.
According to him, an investigation is being conducted into the alleged “romance” between certain traditional rulers in the state and members of the criminal underworld.
“Although we governors are sometimes referred to as the “top security officers” of our respective states, the reality is that we do not possess the ability to command the armed forces, the police, or the civil defense. They are given directives from on high.
“As a result of our efforts, we have established an intelligence unit as part of the Katsina Community Watch Corps. Even the other members of the corps are unfamiliar with this intelligence section. The Watch Corps’ questionable practices will be monitored by this organization, and information will also be gathered as a result of its establishment.
“There are several historic rulers who have been identified, and investigations into those individuals have already begun. Therefore, under my administration, we are not going to spare anyone who is shown to have been involved in any kind of illegal behavior, not even commissioners. We are not going to spare anyone.
“We are not talking about the life of a single person here; rather, we are discussing the lives of nearly 10 million individuals. There is not a single person on the planet whose life is more valuable than the lives of 10 million other people or the life of an innocent person in the village. We are making every effort to collect as much information as we can, in conjunction with the intelligence that we are receiving from the DSS, in order to construct a network that will allow us to apprehend and prosecute any individual who is determined to be guilty of wrongdoing.
“It is a two-edged sword,” she said. We can’t just throw up our hands and claim we won’t defend ourselves just because the robbers have more sophisticated weapons than we have. We have the manpower, the enthusiasm, and the resolve necessary, and you should keep in mind that if they are going on any kind of mission, it will be carried out in the same way as it was in Borno, through the Civilian Joint Task Force.
They will be protected by heavily armed members of the police and the military who will surround them. Therefore, I believe it is the result of a concerted and combined effort. And I believe that little by little, we are operating within the confines of what the law permits us to own.
“We are making strides in that direction, and we are looking into ways in which the federal government may be improved in that area. If it is possible for a thief to go to the market and purchase an AK-47, an RPG, and every other type of weapon, then what options do those who want to protect themselves have? They, too, should be granted the same permission to do so. While we are making an effort to hold it legally, these other folks are holding it illegally. Why is it that the administration cannot let the people hold this event and take on the difficulties on an equal footing?
“From my point of view, engaging in negotiations with bandits is a no-go area; nevertheless, I have stated that if I am in a position of advantage and the bandits come forward and say, “see, we are dropping arms, let us sit down and speak,” we might be able to reintegrate them back into society.
“However, I will not go groveling to the bandits and ask them to come to the table for negotiations. Let’s take care of the problem together. If they are vulnerable, they should come forward so that we can negotiate a solution that would allow them to be readmitted into society. “Even though they are our people and our brothers, we cannot defend someone who has committed a crime,” he explained.