Retired Lieutenant-General Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, a former Minister of Interior and ex-Chief of Army Staff, has issued a warning about the escalating insecurity in Northern Nigeria.
Speaking at the First Media and Security Summit in Birnin Kebbi, themed ‘Existential Threats and National Security’, Dambazau stated that the crisis has reached a critical point where bandits and insurgents have effectively taken over communities, taxing and making laws for communities. He linked the two-decade-long security crisis directly to high levels of poverty facing the region, emphasizing that over 70% of those suffering from poverty exacerbated by insecurity are from the north, which faces high level of illiteracy (over 10 million out-of-school children), and lack of quality healthcare.
The situation, fueled by decades of internal conflict including herder/farmer clashes, Boko Haram terrorism, and generalized banditry, has led to a major humanitarian crisis.
We have gotten into a situation where bandits and insurgents have taken some of our communities, taxing and making laws for them. Thousands have been killed and millions displaced. The number of widows and orphans has increased, and farmers have lost farms and herders’ cattle rustled without action from state actors – Dambazau
Dambazau urged northern governors to establish Ministries of Mineral Resources to harness natural wealth, modernize agriculture, restore the dignity of the traditional institution, and address the issue of out-of-school children to combat insecurity.
The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, calls for collective action, urging leaders and citizens to unite;
We need to come together to talk with each other on how to solve this problem… We can solve the problem by coming together and having understanding, and going ahead to implement the decision we reached to have peace
To restore security and development to the region, northern governors need to translate the recommendations raised during the meeting, especially those concerning economic diversification, agricultural modernization, and educational reforms, into measurable action plans.
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