Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has cautioned opposition figures against politicising insecurity in the North West by suggesting that bandits can be “carpet-bombed” out of existence.
Speaking on Saturday at the public presentation of Where I Stand, a book by the late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi—translated into Arabic by Sheikh Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo—the governor emphasised that Nigeria’s security challenges cannot be addressed through force alone.
Representing President Bola Tinubu as Special Guest of Honour and serving as Chief Host at the event organised by Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa ‘iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), Governor Sani argued that the roots of banditry differ from the ideologically driven Boko Haram insurgency in the North East.
“Insecurity can’t be resolved solely through the use of firearms. Whoever makes such a claim is only playing politics. We must fear God, and stop deceiving the people because that approach will not work,” he said.
The governor highlighted how poverty, unemployment, and the neglect of rural communities fuel banditry, stressing that guns alone cannot address such deep-rooted issues.
He also lamented Nigeria’s declining security manpower relative to its population growth:
“In 1970, after the civil war, Nigeria had about 300,000 soldiers, but today they are less than 250,000 while our population has increased by over 100 million. How then can anyone say that guns alone will solve the problem? It is impossible.”
Governor Sani noted the absence of security presence in many North West communities, citing areas such as Zamfara, Birnin Gwari, and Katsina where travellers can go for kilometres without encountering security personnel.
He pointed to the Kaduna Peace Model, which adopts a non-kinetic approach involving traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community stakeholders in peacebuilding. Citing Birnin Gwari as an example, he revealed that local leaders played a pivotal role in restoring peace after months of dialogue and assessment.
“We discovered that poverty, unemployment, lack of schools, hospitals, and commerce in rural areas pushed people into crime,” he explained.
Governor Sani insisted that elected leaders must take responsibility rather than shifting blame to the President or the National Security Adviser.
“We were elected by the people, and it is our duty to do everything possible to protect our people. I decided to embark on the non-kinetic approach to address insecurity in Kaduna State because it is me that God will hold responsible in the hereafter,” he declared.
