Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, said on Friday that the state government would spend over N318 million on the construction of an Army training center in Falgore Forest, which was turned into a hideout by criminals.
Ganduje disclosed this in Kano on Friday during the closing ceremony of 1 Division, Nigerian Army Inter Brigade Corporal and Below Competition, held at Bukavu Army Barracks in Kano.
He said that the military presence in the forest would deter bandits, kidnappers and other criminals gangs operating from there.
“We are going to lay the foundation of this important project soon and it will be a milestone in addressing security challenges in the area,” he said.
The governor said that his administration would soon unfold a well-articulated blueprint on community policing, aimed at ensuring that everybody is involved in security matters.
“We have started efforts in this direction by engaging community leaders and Imams and we held a stakeholders meeting in Karaye and very soon we shall have another one at Rano Emirate,” he said.
Ganduje added that the state government would also meet with stakeholders in Tudun Wada local government where the Falgore forest is located.
The governor also said that the competition has shown that the army is amenable to continuous training so as to address emerging security challenges in the country.
He noted that the competition was a major step towards maintaining confidence and espirit-de-corp among officers and men of the Nigerian Army.
Earlier, the General Officer Commanding, 1 Division Nigerian Army, Maj.- Gen. Faruk Yusuf said that the competition was aimed at improving combat skills, team work, leadership skills and general resilience among other things.
“The Nigerian Army will continue to pay attention to regular training towards keeping the Army fit in discharging its constitutional roles”, he said.
Yusuf used the occasion to express appreciation to the state government for constructing a 30-family residential block at Bukavu Barracks and for the provision of sundry infrastructure and assistance to the Army.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the those who participated in the competition were drawn from 3 Brigade, 1 Division Garrison and 31 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army.
They competed in drills, combat swimming, map reading, weapon handling, and obstacle crossing, with 3 Brigade emerging the overall winner.(NAN)
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