Use hunters to tackle kidnapping, Emir Sanusi tells FG

The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi ll has advised the federal government to use local hunters to tackle the menace of kidnapping and other crimes bedevilling some states in northern Nigeria.

Emir Sanusi, who gave the advice during a meeting with leaders of hunters in Kano on Sunday, organized by Kano Concerned Citizens Initiative (KCCI), said Kano had tested the method noting that it worked perfectly.

Represented by the District Head of Doguwa, Dan Amar of Kano, Alhaji Aliyu Harazimi, Sanusi said in the last four years, Kano South has not record any case of kidnapping or armed robbery.

He said, “When the issue of kidnapping became worst in Falgore forest in Doguwa local government, we invited leaders of local hunters and formed a special patrol team comprising police, soldiers, civil defence and local hunters.

“We succeeded in destroying six kidnappers’ camps inside the forest. It is exactly four years after the formation of the team and we have not recorded a single case of kidnapping in the area.”

Emir Sanusi suggested that the federal government should form similar team to fight kidnappers in states like Zamfara and Kaduna states respectively.

Speaking at the event, Kano state Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, assured that his government would do everything possible to ensure safety of lives and properties of all residents in the state.

Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji, he said if Kano is peaceful, the entire northern Nigeria and West African region would be peaceful.

“Kano state government is ever ready to collaborate with any group to promote peace in the state. The present administration will soon unveil series of plans that are geared towards ensuring peace and harmony in the state,” he said.

A lecturer at the Bayero University Kano (BUK), Malam Bala Muhammad, advised federal and states’ governments to introduce stiffer punishment for kidnappers, suggesting that “a death penalty should be applied on any person or person found wanting in kidnapping cases.

“Whoever is found guilty of committing kidnapping should be killed and government should take this issue with all seriousness,” he said.

Muhammad also advised businessmen from northern Nigeria especially those conducting their businesses in Abuja to adopt a new strategy of travelling to Abuja from Kano by contracting the services of security personnel to start escorting them to Abuja in a special convoy.

He said, “The services of security personnel comprising soldiers, police, DSS and civil defence should be contracted by the businessmen for the purpose of escorting them to Abuja to conduct their businesses.

“There should be an arrangement where our businessmen from Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi and other northern state can be escorted to Abuja in convoy by a team of security personnel after every an hour.”