A former Army spokesman, Brig-Gen Sani Kukasheka, has expressed disappointment that Nigerians are now putting the security of their lives and property in the hands of criminals.
Kukasheka said this while speaking on the current security situation in the country on Trust TV on Tuesday night.
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A banditry kingpin known as Ado Aleiro was on Saturday turbaned as Sarkin Fulanin Yandoto by the Yandoton Daji Emirate in Zamfara State.
The decision to confer the title on the banditry kingpin was premised on the pivotal role he played during a recent peace process locally arranged between the emirate and the bandits terrorising Tsafe Local Government Area.
But the former Army spokesman said what happened in Zamfara was a sign that the people are not comfortable with the approach of the government in dealing with insecurity in the country.
He expressed fears that criminals were now being emboldened and now moving into the cities.
While insisting that the people of Yandoton Daji Emirate were coarsed into the act, the retired army officer said it is dangerous to see the country as rewarding criminality.
He said, “If we are looking at what happened in Zamfara recently, it sent a message, especially to the government.
“It’s a kind of sign that the people are not satisfied with the way the government is handling issues. So, they are devising every means possible to ensure their own safety and security.
“However, this issue in Zamfara has so many connotations, the first I have mentioned. But then, we should not be seen to seen to be rewarding criminality.
“But in their own case, they were coarsed into it because over time, he has been proving to be the kind of dominant force with them.
“We are consigning our destiny into the hands of the criminals simply because we are disenchanted with the government.”
The ex-Army spokesman said it was difficult to tackle insecurity in the country because many people were benefitting from the activities of the criminals.
He, therefore, called for an all-encompassing approach to tackle insecurity in the country.
“All these security challenges are not devoid of solutions. Bulk of the solution – we might require assistance here and there – is supposed to be a local thing because they border on some fundamental issues about governance in this country,” Kukasheka said.
He advised the government at all levels to follow measures being taken in tackling insecurity in the land to a logical conclusion.
He also urged state governments to work with neighbouring states to have a holistic approach to resolving the security challenges in their areas.
