×

Katsina CNG, CSOs Call For Holistic, Non-Kinetic Approach To Tackle Insecurity 

Their advocacy follows the recent attack on a military camp in Faskari Local Government on Sunday, May 12, 2024, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of five soldiers and injuries to several others.


CNG Coordinator, Katsina State, Habibu Ruma.

 

The Katsina State Chapters of the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) and the civil society organisations are advocating for adopting a non-kinetic approach to address the deteriorating security situation in the state.

Their advocacy follows the recent attack on a military camp in Faskari Local Government on Sunday, May 12, 2024, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of five soldiers and injuries to several others.

This attack was followed by another assault by the bandits less than 24 hours later at Yar’malamai village which led to the abduction of more than 80 people, looting of shops, and burning of houses in an incident lasting for over 10 hours.

This situation, according to the CNG and CSOs, required an urgent multi-dimensional approach to manage.

 

The groups in a round table discussion held on Sunday in the state capital, anchored by the State CNG Coordinator Habibu Ruma identified informational, psychological, diplomatic, economic, social, and civil-military approaches as comprehensive instruments to tackle the security challenges in the state and the region.

According to Ruma, a robust poverty alleviation programme in the state, especially in the rural areas, targeting young people should be introduced to reduce youth restiveness in the state and the region.

He observed that authorities must work hard to reduce ungoverned spaces, manage porous borders, eradicate corruption, and promote unity in Nigeria’s diverse society.

CNG Coordinator, Katsina State, Habibu Ruma.
CNG Coordinator, Katsina State, Habibu Ruma.

“It is crucial that the community take ownership of the situation. A robust literacy programme should be implemented in the state, particularly in rural areas, incorporating both religious and Western education to instill moral values in society, given that the majority of individuals involved in banditry lack formal education.

“It is time for the concerned authorities to explore the potential of a non-kinetic approach to address the deteriorating security situation in the state and the northern region.

“Shinkafi in Zam fara State has provided testimony on the use of a non-kinetic approach based on diplomatic community dialogue, with remarkable results.

“However, this must be coordinated across the region with the active participation of the Federal Government to ensure that authorities are not sending conflicting signals to the bandits.

“We, therefore, call on the relevant authorities to consider using a non-kinetic approach with community dialogue as a key component to ending the banditry menace in the state and region.

“The escalating violence and banditry in Katsina State and the northern region pose significant security threats, severely impacting all aspects of development, with illiteracy, ignorance, marginalisation, poor leadership, religious intolerance, and drug abuse as major causes.

“Despite recent efforts by the Katsina State Government to complement our overstretched security personnel by establishing the Community Watch Corps to assist in combating terrorist activities, these initiatives have proven ineffective.

“Similar measures, such as the Askarawan Zamfara in Zamfara State and the Community Guard Corps in Sokoto State, reflect a regional attempt to address insecurity through kinetic approaches. However, these strategies have not yielded the desired results.

“As of August 2023, Nigeria’s police strength was below 380,000 officers which is insufficient based on a ratio of one police officer to about 600 citizens.

“As of 2022, Nigeria, with an estimated population of about 220 million people, had a total military strength of about 223,000 personnel. This gives a ratio of military personnel to a population of approximately
11,000.

“This is lower than those of Nigeria’s neighbours; their armoury and welfare are in shambles, while the bandits’ armoury is increasing by the day with the latest drone testing by the terrorists, equally recruiting different segments of people either as informants or field actors,” Ruma noted.