Kaduna State Government has disclosed that bandit attacks have killed 214 people and abducted 746 others between January and March 2023.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, disclosed this yesterday while presenting the first quarter of the 2023 security report to Governor Nasir El-Rufai at the Government House in Kaduna.
The report showed that Kaduna central senatorial district recorded the highest number of casualties, with 115 deaths, followed by Kaduna South and Kaduna North senatorial districts, with 61 and 38 deaths, respectively.
The report also indicated that Kaduna central senatorial district accounted for 492 kidnapped victims, followed by Kaduna South senatorial district with 221, while 33 people were abducted in Kaduna North senatorial district.
Governor El-Rufai said the state government had done its best to prevent the incidents “through institutional measures and pragmatic actions.”
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He also called for intense security operations to continue over the remaining 39 days of his administration and beyond to prevent any dangerous lull that criminal outlaws could exploit.
He urged the federal government to launch comprehensive and sustained military operations against terrorists and criminal elements in the region.
He added, “There is every reason to intensify and sustain simultaneous ground and air kinetic actions across the seven frontline states of the Northwest region and Niger which have continuous and contiguous forest ranges and are most heavily impacted by this security challenge.”
Governor El-Rufai promised that the state government would continue to do everything within the powers of a state to ensure security.
The state has invested considerable resources and energy in managing security since 2015, including supporting the federal security agencies deployed with vehicles and other logistics, collaborating with other frontline states to fund military operations in the 2015-2016 period, and investing in security infrastructure and technology.
He also established the first sub-national Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs at the beginning of his second term in 2019.
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He commended security agencies for their constant collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs in securing the state. He also praised traditional and community leaders for leading and influential anchors of peaceful coexistence and intelligence-gathering in various urban and rural communities.
Governor El-Rufai expressed concern over the failure of traditional rulers in Zangon Kataf Chiefdom to prevent youths from taking laws into their hands, saying that action would be taken to send a clear message to them in that regard.
He said, “We note with concern the continued failure of traditional and community leaders in Zangon Kataf Chiefdom to prevent resort to self-help by recalcitrant youths, and assure you all that we will take some actions to send a message in this regard.”
