The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III and other experts have urged the Federal Government to accord highest national priority to security.
The call was contained in the communiqué of the recent 1st Umaru Shinkafi Security and Intelligence Summit signed by the Webinar moderator, Mahmud Jega.
- Why insecurity persists in southern Kaduna — El-Rufai
- “Lack of synergy among security agents worsening insurgency battle”
The virtual Summit, organised by the Umaru Shinkafi Legacy Foundation in memory of Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi (1937-2016), and other frontline politicians and elder statesman, had its theme as “Insurgency, Banditry and Kidnapping: A Multifaceted Approach.”
The summit established a nexus between the fight against criminality, banditry, kidnapping and insurgency and the overall efforts to accelerate economic growth and provide welfare amenities for citizens.
Participants urged the Federal Government and military authorities to strengthen the 8 Army Division based in Sokoto as well as other military and security commands in the northwest so that they could properly meet the challenges posed by bandits and terrorists.
Provision of higher grade weapons than the increasingly sophisticated ones being used by criminals and training of security officials at the National Institute for Security Studies to include middle and lower level security officials in order to enhance overall capacity and capability were part of the discussion.
The summit made a case for improved synergy between different security agencies and other agencies. It called for hard work to eliminate friction, rivalry and lack of coordination that sometimes hamper security operations.
Meanwhile, co-chairmen of the Interfaith Dialogue Forum for Peace, Alhaji Kunle Sanni and Bishop Sunday Onuoha, in a statement yesterday, urged the Federal Government to intervene in the renewed wave of violence and killings in Kaduna State, especially in Southern Kaduna and in Birnin Gwari Local Government Areas.