Proactively, as governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state promised to use the newly created Emirates in the state, for, among other things, the improvement and consolidation of security situation in the state, he organises Security Summit, Phase I, in Karaye Emirate, Karaye local government, where all heads of the security agencies in the state were in attendance.
Themed “Join Us in Securing Kano State,” held at Karaye Islamic Centre, was held with the Emir of Karaye, Ibrahim Abubakar II, as the royal father of the occasion, with all the nine District Heads under his jurisdiction, village heads, Clerics and other community leaders.
Ganduje reminded that, “When we created the new Emirates we said it all that, we did that in order to have even development in the state. I said our security situation will improve, people will have access to health care delivery system, our education system will improve, among others.”
The Awareness Seminar was organised as a proactive measure to improve the security of the land and proffer ways to effectively check any security threat.
“We are aware of what is happening in states like Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Kaduna, something that we cannot hope to escalate or happen in our state or any other states. Food insecurity in those states is in the increase. Because farmers can no longer go to farms. In some places, residences were burnt down and many people lost their families,” he lamented.
Kano, in his words, borders some of these states, and when those armed bandits and other hoodlums were chased out of those states, their next option could be Kano “…as hinted by the security agencies. As a proactive measure, we have to evolve strategies for facing such potential situation head on,” he said.
“We are joining hands together with our traditional institutions and all security agencies, because we need to face the situation squarely. We also need to encourage synergy of purpose and action against insecurity. That is why we thought it is imperative to effectively include our Emirs,” Ganduje explained.
Governor Ganduje directed all the District Heads to be meeting on monthly basis and assess the security situation within their domains. Adding that, “They should be reporting to the Emir. While village heads must also be meeting monthly and be reporting back to the District Heads. And at the same time Ward Heads would have theirs monthly too and report back to village heads.”
Ganduje urged people to always be vigilant and know the movement of people in their surroundings. In Kano, he discloses, “…all our security agencies are working hand in hand. They have a working synergy and good coordination for better society.”
Responding to some concerns about the forests the state has, he said, plan is in the pipeline for taking a stock of people living in those forests, to know who and who live within those forests.
He added that, “We have since spoken with the Islamic Development Bank and federal government of Nigeria, that we are going to have modern grazing reserves for our herders.”
“We ban the use of motorcycles in our forests, because we learned that armed bandits and other criminals use motorcycles in perpetuating their heinous activities. The ban will be for sometime. So those good people living in these areas should please bear with the situation, as it is temporary,” governor said.
Appreciative of the Summit, he reveals that, similar Summits would be organised in all the remaining four Emirates in the state. After which, he said, all the five Emirs would be invited to Governor’s office for a general Summit geared towards tackling the security issue in the state.
Governor said “From all indications the main aim of this Summit is achieved. All the security agencies have said their parts, so also our traditional institution. What remains now, is for us to stand up and join hands effectively and efficiently for the overall safety and security of our state and the nation in general.”
All heads of the security agencies commended Ganduje for his unrelenting efforts in securing the state against any insecurity signal in the state.
In his part the Emir of Karaye commended Ganduje for being serious about securing the state effectively and efficiently, emphasising that, “Your Excellency, we are always ready to cooperate and work with you in further securing our societies.
