Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has rejected the notion that a purely military approach can resolve insecurity, emphasizing that firearms alone cannot solve the problem.
He made the remarks during the public presentation of Where I Stand, a book by the late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi, translated into Arabic by Sheikh Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo.
Governor Sani noted that insecurity in the North West differs from the ideologically-driven Boko Haram insurgency in the North East, highlighting that poverty, unemployment, and neglect of rural communities are at the core of banditry.
“Insecurity can’t be addressed solely with guns. Anyone who claims otherwise is merely playing politics. We must fear God and stop deceiving the people because that approach will not work,” he said.
He further stressed that Nigeria’s security manpower has decreased despite massive population growth over the past 45 years.
“In 1970, after the civil war, Nigeria had about 300,000 soldiers. Today, there are less than 250,000, yet our population has grown by over 100 million. How then can anyone say guns alone will solve the problem? It’s impossible,” Sani explained.
The governor lamented the absence of security personnel in large parts of the Northwest, noting that in areas like Zamfara, Birnin Gwari, and Katsina forests, one could travel 50 kilometers without seeing a policeman, let alone a soldier.
He highlighted the Kaduna Peace Model, a non-kinetic approach to insecurity, which involves traditional and religious leaders, and local stakeholders. Citing Birnin Gwari as an example, Sani said the Emir led efforts to restore peace after six months of understanding the root causes of insecurity.
“We discovered that poverty, unemployment, and the lack of schools, hospitals, and commerce in rural areas pushed people into crime,” he said. “Leaders must take responsibility. We should not deceive our people by blaming President Tinubu or National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. We were elected by the people, and it is our duty to protect them. I adopted the non-kinetic approach because I will be held accountable by God.”
The governor’s remarks come days after former Kaduna Governor Malam Nasir El-Rufai criticized the non-kinetic approach and negotiations with bandits.
In an interview with Channels Television, El-Rufai said, “I still maintain my stance: deal decisively with these bandits. Kill them all. Don’t pamper terrorists with negotiations. It has never worked anywhere.”
He added that the current government has suppressed media reporting on insecurity and claimed that security challenges in Kaduna have worsened since President Tinubu’s administration began. El-Rufai also alleged that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) coordinated ransom payments to bandits, a claim denied by NSA Nuhu Ribadu, who stated that no arm of the government has engaged in ransom payments or inducements to criminals.
