20022021 - INSECURITY Give us state police now - Govs

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12—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 20, 2021 KWARA: For Abdulrazaq, it’s been service to our people —– Amb Nurudeen Mohammed • But our APC boat may capsize if ... FROM DEMOLA AKINYEMI..ILORIN... Alh Nurudeen Mohammed is one of the respected elder statesmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state. During the military era, he served many of the military administrators as their Commissioner for Finance till the return of Nigeria to civilian rule in 1999. Alh Mohammed also went into politics and sought to become the governor of Kwara state on several occasions but he did not succeed. The APC chieftain,who had been an ally of President Muhammadu Buhari,during his days in the Congress for Progressive Change, (CPC) was appointed as Nigeria’s ambassador to Malaysia and Brunnei, from where he returned lately after his assignment. He spoke to our state correspondent, Demola Akinyemi, at his residence in Ilorin on the crisis in the ruling APC and other sundry issues. Excerpts: •Abdulrazaq Tell us briefly your foray into politics before the ambassadorial assignment I’ve been into politics since 1979. We were in the National Party of Nigeria,NPN, the UPN, UNPP and several other parties and later the APC. We lost to the PDP in the earlier elections, but in the last elections, God decided to turn the table around and gave victory to the coalition that came together to form the APC and this is where we are. I have been to Malaysia but I came for the elections and incidentally, the candidate of the APC, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq decided that I should handle the election process which I did and God gave us victory. But again, management of victory is what we are now battling with. How do you see the emergence of APC candidate as the governor of Kwara state considering your opposition experience? The political history of Kwara state right from the days of NPN was a coalition of people like Olusola Saraki on one side, with the Dantoros, Adamu Attahs and others coming together in NPN against the UPN and God gave victory to us in the NPN. The dominant political force in Kwara state then was Olusola Saraki, and some of us who didn’t believe in his political ideology were just watching as he ruled the state for all that long. Eventually however, God came and gave us victory this time. How do you see the APC administration since May 2019 ? It’s been successful, the governor is doing his best, providing what government is supposed to provide which is service to the people and meeting the needs of the common people. From all I have been hearing, our roads are now in better conditions, water supply every where, schools have been renovated and hospitals have been taken care of among other things. As a respected member of the party, what is your advice on how to resolve the current crisis in the party? We are all members of the same family, there’s therefore the need to resolve it amicably. We have to first listen to the other side to find out their grievances before advising the governor to accommodate those demands. We were together as a family before God gave us victory. Now it’s management of the victory due to different opinions, different reactions and different outlooks that have resulted into one family splitting into various groups. So, we need to come back to a round table and discuss. Even though when we come round to the table, there will still be a lot of noise but we just have to listen to each other.. Considering how the ‘Otoge’ movement was launched to ensure victory for your party, did you envisage the present crisis? I didn’t envisage this crisis, but the point to be made is that we were only concerned about snatching power from somebody who had been holding it for long, so for everybody, all efforts were directed at stopping the other person from getting there. So, there was a general consensus and a marriage of all efforts to deliver for our party. Now, after winning the war, there now comes the problem of how to manage the victory which is what we are experiencing now. It appears whatever you have done to resolve the crisis as an elder statesman has not yielded the desired result I have been talking. But I can’t come out and be telling you what I’ve been doing, it’s not right. The aggrieved persons for instance would not want the matter to be in the open, but I am trying my best. If the aggrieved parties will all come and sit down, things will work out. We go around in the nights and talk, when the result come at the end of the day, we will all see it. And again, like I accused most of our people that when we were looking for victory, every one of us in our various denominations and beliefs was calling on God to give us victory but when the victory was given to us, did we remember God again and say God please keep us united so that we can deliver? Nobody has said God keep us united so, God is teaching us a lesson in Kwara. Was that the cause of the crisis? Apart from the other dimensions that we have mentioned, there is also the spiritual aspect to it in my own opinion. We asked God to give us victory, but we didn’t remember to say God thank you and please keep us together. So, God has left us alone with the devil. Is it too late to return to God and salvage this situation? No, it is not too late, God is always there ready to welcome erring people. Have you done that? Don’t you see me with my tesbi (praying beads)? Recently, stakeholders from Kwara north where you are from agitated for 2023 governorship slot, how do you see the agitation? Although the central figure can assist but sometimes these problems would still come Answer—In Kwara north, we are entitled to the governorship position. But the question now is the timing. For whatever reasons, when we were all together trying to fight and deliver Kwara state, we all came together and put somebody there. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria permits that person to run for two terms. Now, unless you want to bring another crisis, you shouldn’t be saying that the governor must do only one term, because the constitution permits him two terms. There is an argument that the lack of a respected leader within the APC in Kwara state, unlike in the days of Dr Bukola Saraki who would give an instruction and everyone would fall in line, was responsible for the current leadership crisis in the state party When Baba Saraki himself was faced by his son, and was booted out, what happened to the central figure? Management of diversity is the issue, the central figure can always backfire. Although the central figure can assist but sometimes these problems would still come. The current governor has been seen to be working hard to develop the state to the admiration of many and while some people are impressed, others are saying that he has not done anything. How do we reconcile this issue of politics and performance? Its normal, that’s politics, no matter what you are doing some other persons will say you are doing nothing. But the generality of the people out there who will take the final decision, are they satisfied?Those of us who are struggling for power, we can cause all kinds of confusion within ourselves but the person on the steering wheel, who is driving and doing the correct things, what are the voters thinking about him? That is the most important thing. But again, like I say we are supposed to be able to manage our diversity; diversity of opinions, diversity of reactions, diversity of feelings, diversity of temperament, diversity of so many things which coalesce together in this party. Some people are displeased, we have to find out the cause of their displeasure and see how we can accommodate ourselves. Don’t you think that if the current crisis is not resolved early enough it can cost the governor his second term? We have agreed on so many things, the whole boat can tumble and drop all of us into the ocean. That is clear, that if we don’t manage the journey very well, the boat can capsize and all of us will go down, that’s why all of us are struggling to see what we can do to manage the situation. There have been allegations of hoarding of materials in the ongoing party registration,what’s your take? I have heard complaints that some people were trying to frustrate the registration of others, some people have been registered, some have not. They are normal problems of administration. The party has not declared who should be a member and who should not. And again, registration is a continuous exercise, some people join, some leave the party while and others die. So, the gate of the party is permanently open to members to be registered continuously. Registration is a continuous exercise. But under this political heat going on, some people are frustrating others from registering. But if I were you, I will just go and sit down and leave the whole matter alone. When they finish the entire registration, I will just walk across and say I want to join the party. I can decide that I’m not joining now, and wait till next year and walk to the party’s office and register as a member. Membership registration of the party never closes, so, nobody should disturb himself. What do you think can be done to check the incessant attacks by Fulani herdsmen on the residents? This issue has always been there, we are just over exaggerating it. If there are criminal elements doing some things, law enforcement and other relevant agencies should be able to handle them. Everyone, has Fulani men around their village who speak your language and do their rearing, they are part of the community. Then, you have the itinerant herdsmen who move with the weather. Now, it’s February, the rains have withdrawn from the desert areas, through the grassland areas, towards the forest, so they move with the rain backwards, feeding their cattle. Those ones have always been doing that for hundreds of years. As they move through communities there are always clashes, cattle do not distinguish between the grass that they should eat and the grass they shouldn’t eat. So, they cross into people’s farms and normally every community has this problem which they managed. So, it has been in existence. But suddenly, everything has turned upside down. Are you going to drive away those ones around your village who were born there and speak your language or those ones who for hundreds of years continue to move with the weather? Cattle routes were marked out in the past so that they could be moving.
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 20, 2021—13 statements on issues of criminality as it affects his Fulani kinsmen. I do hope he will stick up with ensuring that the law and its integrity are upheld at all times. In his own reaction, the General Secretary of the Ekiti Council of Elders, Mr Niyi Ajibulu, said “it is rather unfortunate that the country is speedily sliding towards a state of anomie. Such statement coming from a governor and Nigerians agree with a chieftain of the ruling party at the federal level seriously depicts the level of our insecurity, fear for the survival of the nation and the inability of existing security structures including legislature to cope. Clearly, it is now imperative for us to evolve new strategies for ensuring security of all. And if urgent steps are El Rufai on bandits not taken, hapless citizens would naturally resort to self help. What we have been saying all along is that there must be community policing, in which case those serving in the police would be taken from their community. It appeared the bandits or the killer herdsmen are being given some legitimacy and that is what has emboldened them now, government engage them in a talk as if they are a legitimate group. I support the extreme position being •Tell govt never to negotiate with criminals canvassed by the governor and that is on the short run. On the long run, we should make sure they are not allowed access into the community. The call from the governor, is from Dayo Johnson, South West Regional somebody who knows, somebody who sees the Editor; Samuel Oyadongha; Umar atrocities and the effect on the economy and Yusuf; Wole Mosadomi; Peter Duru; the people. I think we have to take extreme Festus Ahon, Egufe Yafugborhi; Rotimi measure, otherwise the existence of the country Ojomoyela; Peter Okutu; Charly is in jeopardy”. Agwam; Femi Bolaji; Ozioruva Aliu; Shina Abubakar; James Ogunnaike and Adeola Badru Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna State recently boldly renounced negotiation as a solution to bandits’ criminality. He said negotiating with bandits would never work. He wants them arrested and dealt with squarely. They should be eliminated. Speaking on a BBC Hausa programme few days ago, Governor El-Rufai declared that those who are trying to negotiate with the bandits are only wasting their time because the criminal herdsmen and bandits who were used to receiving about N100,000 in a year herding cows are now getting millions of naira from kidnapping will never stop. He said the only solution therefore is to get rid of them. Nigerians have been reacting to El-Rufai’s position including his governor colleagues. While some argue that it will amount to jungle justice and taking laws into our hands, majority of the people however support killing the bandits whenever they are arrested if that will bring peace to the land. Excerpts: Joseph Ambakederimo, Convener, South South Reawakening Group said: “Bandits are robbers and marauders therefore they do not deserve any special treatment from the state. Any bandit caught should either be summarily dealt with or according to law. They cannot continue to hold the country to ransom and ride roughshod over everyone. People who kill their fellow man should be killed so that they will know that killing is bad. Therefore, the position of the governor is a welcome development and I would implore government to tow that line of action and bring peace to all trouble spots. No form of negotiations and amnesty should be considered whatsoever because what is going on right now is pure criminality and nothing more. A bandit is a bandit and should be treated as a bandit.” Eric Omare, former President, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide aligned himself with Nasir El-Rufai saying, “I agree that killers should also face similar punishment. There is no basis at all to negotiate with people who kill for the fun of it. Above all, people who fight for just reasons all over the world don’t kill. The basic rule of engagement is not to kill innocent people but in the case of Fulani bandits, killing is their past time. So I support that they should face the consequences of their actions according to law.” Darlington Nwauju, Spokesperson, Niger Delta Rights Advocates said, “Sometimes the severity of the pains inflicted on the public psyche alone slams a death sentence on these marauding bandits. The high level of destruction on human lives and economy of Kaduna state must have influenced Governor El-Rufai’s position. However, I think Kaduna as a federating unit can make laws to permit capital punishment for this category of criminals. One is forced to agree with the capital punishment option canvassed by Governor El- Rufai.” Abdulhammed Olabintan, the president of the Yoruba community in Taraba state, said past governments are partly to be blamed for not looking out for the well being of the growing young population. According to him, “the situation we have found ourselves today is a result of neglect by successive leadership in this country. Most of these outlaws that are now terrorizing the rest of us have no job to do which has made them resort to crime as a means of survival. If past leaders have been proactive, parents would have been compelled to either enroll their children in school or make them learn a trade. However, I won’t agree with the idea of holding dialogue with the bandits because these groups of criminals are everywhere across the country; how many of them will the government sit down with and dialogue? What the government should do is to equip our security agencies to fight crime and criminality effectively. They should however go further to compel parents to compulsorily enroll their children in school to acquire formal education or rather send them to where they can acquire skills that would be useful to them in future.” For Andeta’rang Irammae, Taraba state publicity secretary of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, said, “you can only go into dialogue with an organization that is structured. Banditry connotes criminality. These are criminals who run into their hideout after wreaking havoc, so how do you dialogue with people like this? It is rather unfortunate that a country like Nigeria can be exploited by people who don’t mean well for both the political and socioeconomic dynamics of the country. It pains me when people come out with solutions as callous as dialogue. I wonder why it is so difficult for our security operatives to smoke them out and make them face the wrath of the law. What I expect from every Nigerian now is to join forces with the government to preach peace and compel the government to deploy the necessary machinery to go after these bandits, arrest and prosecute them.” Coordinator, Patriotic Volunteer League (PVL), Mikiste Ewansiha-Thomas has thrown his weight behind Governor El-Rufai’s position saying his group was ready to render any assistance needed to flush out bandits in the south. Besides, he said security agencies should involve the indigenes of the areas where they want to operate. According to him, “these are people who are exploiting religion, exploiting the vulnerability of the people to organise themselves through the forest. When Boko Haram started in Borno state, they were in localized areas such as Biu, Nguru that small area. Now they are in Fika, Damaturu, Yerwa, Michika, Hong, and many other areas. The bandits in Zamfara state started in a small area but now they are encroaching Gwarzo, they have gone as far as to Kaduna. The bandits who are coming down south are ISWAP from outside Nigeria and they are kidnapping people to raise money not for themselves but for their lords who are buying arms and ammunition with this money to prosecute their so called caliphate goals. Governor El-Rufai is very correct, there is no other way because even if you negotiate with them and they collect huge money on negotiation, they will pause for a while and they will start again. So, there is no need to negotiate with them. We have to give them a classic military defeat. Al-Qaeda started this way, they have not been defeated, the Taliban are still there, so El-Rufai is correct, we should attack them because these are people who are already launching rural guerrilla warfare and no modern armed forces in the history of 150 years of modern warfare have been able to defeat guerrilla warfare. The only people who succeeded in defeating them were the Israelis. We have to mobilise the masses against these people and because these criminals are operating outside their territory, makes them very vulnerable and quick to defeat. We have However, I won’t agree with the idea of holding dialogue with the bandits because these groups of criminals are everywhere across the country; how many of them will the government sit down with and dialogue? •El-Rufai to mobilise the people because their locations can easily be detected since they don’t own these forests, they only use landmarks to navigate their way. There are people who can almost close their eyes and walk through these forests, they are indigenous people so we need to mobilise these indigenous people to join forces with the military and go after these bandits and they will be defeated. Even if there are collaborators, you have to start from somewhere and localizing the collaborators is not going to be difficult because under strategic intelligence gathering, these collaborators will be unmasked”. Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state, however believed the best and only option to douse tension and bring an end to banditry in Zamfara and beyond was to dialogue them. He said “I have always been saying that the best solution and option to tackle banditry is to seek for dialogue with the bandits. I believe if really we want to end this banditry we have to sit at a round table and negotiate. So, the best way out for my colleague governors, is for them to subscribe to dialogue. We are ready to sit down and listen to any bandit or group of bandits who are prepared for dialogue, and listen to their grievances, if any but as for those who refuse to take part in dialogue, we will fight them. As a governor, my number one priority is to ensure peace and stability, and to ensure people are sleeping with two eyes closed”. Zadok Akintoye, political analyst and former Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo state, said, “the Kaduna state governor has spoken the truth. Our laws are very clear on the issue of armed robbery and banditry and it is important to state that, where the law fails to hold on to the integrity of its creation, society fails. Over time, bandits have become more emboldened to flaunt their illegal and criminal actions within the Nigerian territory because our systems; judicial, administrative, enforcement and punitive, have failed to stand up to the purposes for which they are set up. I totally agree with El-Rufai but the question is, why is he taking this position at this time considering his past Chief Taoffek Jimoh, Coordinator, Yoruba World Congress, Ogun State said “ anybody that is involved in any form of criminality should face the full wrath of the law. The law of the land should take its course on such person. Law is no respecter of anybody, regardless of the age, tribe or position in the society. The herdsmen have invaded nearly every community in the southern part of the country and they are killing innocent souls indiscriminately, but unfortunately, the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari is not saying anything. It seems the federal government is shielding them. With the current situation of our security, nobody is willing to partner with Nigeria any more. I want to challenge President Buhari and all other people in the positions of authority in the country to take the ‘bull by the horn’ and address the problem of insecurity squarely. Chief Abia Onyike, Chairman, Media and Publicity, Alaigbo Development Foundation, ADF, said Fulani herdsmen should not be accorded any special treatment as the only solution is for them to be decimated for peace to reign in the country. He said: “it is only in Nigeria that Fulani are too important. Three months ago in Guinea, Alpha Conde defeated a Fulani opponent to win a third term in office. Before then, the Guinea military dealt a deadly blow on the Fulani bandits in that country. In 2017, a Fulani militia known as Seneka rebels were decimated in Central African Republic and they disappeared from the scene. In Niger, the Tuaregs have held the Fulani down and they did nothing. It is only in Nigeria that they claim important”. Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello however has thrown his weight behind his Kaduna state counterpart, El-Rufai as he condemned any sort of negotiation by any individual or group of people with the bandits. He said rather than stop the crime, it will only aggravate it. The Governor who spoke through his Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Sani Idris said criminals have no other name than criminals and should therefore be treated as such according to the law of the land. In Niger state, many local government areas have now been taken over by bandits who are killing, maiming, rustling of cows and setting houses ablaze and so, if such people are apprehended, they should also be killed. Niger and Kaduna states are being constantly invaded by these criminals and all steps taken to curb this situation have not been successful and so we are in full support of what the Kaduna state governor has said and that is also our stand on it. If any bandit is caught in the act, he must be made to face the full wrath of the law because they are also criminals,” the governor asserted. Former Spokesman of All Progressives Congress,(APC) and Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mr Jonathan Vatsa in his reaction said Governor El-Rufai’s stand was in order. “World over, you don’t spare criminals. How do you negotiate with bandits or armed robbers? Anybody negotiating with bandits is questionable. For us to put to rest these criminal activities, the bandits should also be killed when apprehended. The Federal Government should be able to police the movement of firearms in the country or better still, government should legalise carrying of fire arms by all Nigerians.
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20022021 - INSECURITY Give us state police now - Govs

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