Kaduna Govt Mulls Establishment Of State Police, Says Vigilante Ill-Equipped To Face Bandits

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has called for the establishment of state police as a solution to combating the spate of insecurity terrorising the state.

This is coming on the heels of insecurity in the state following the kidnapping of over 280 students in the Kuriga area of the state. Also, 87 people were reportedly abducted last Sunday in Kajuru Local Government Area.

Governor Sani who harped on the need to create state police, said vigilantes are ill-equipped to face bandits who carry sophisticated weapons.

Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday, Sani called for the establishment of state police to fight bandits.

His words: “Vigilante service cannot hold anything more than pump actions, and these bandits come around with AK-47s and even more sophisticated weapons. That is where we are.

“And in any case, that is the reason why some of us are insisting that we need to create state police. When you create state police, you will give the state police the legal authority through our constitution to hold firearms, including AK-47s. Then those communities can defend themselves.

“But until this moment, the vigilante service can only work with the military. They can only work with the police and all the relevant security agencies to help them with intelligence.”

Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, says the military is working tirelessly to free the students abducted in Kuriga, Kaduna State, and other victims across the country.

The CDS assured Nigerians that the security forces would expose those behind the evil machinations and bring them to justice.

Musa gave the assurance on Monday when he visited Gov. Uba Sani of Kaduna State at the Government House in Kaduna to commiserate with the people over the Kuriga school abduction.

“What is happening will end soon,” he added.

“There are individuals who don’t want to see the nation develop; they are after causing rancour and mayhem.

“Their wish is that by the time the state is in rancour, nobody will want to invest in the state or the nation at large.

“They are working on their own evil plan, but God is on our side, and we are working tirelessly to ensure we secure the state, the country, the citizens, and most especially to free all the abducted ones,” the CDS added.

Musa said the military welcomed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to supporting the armed forces.

“On this, we are reassuring you that we are not sleeping. Many troops are coming, and we are taking more actions to safeguard and bring the children out safely, as quickly as possible,” he added.