Former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has expressed deep concerns about the current challenges of insecurity confronting Nigeria.
Naijaonpoint reports that Kwankwaso, in a personally signed statement via his 𝕏 account on Monday, lamented that the federal government appears overwhelmed and unable to tackle the challenges of insecurity in the country fully.
According to him, the inability of the federal government is exposed with the endorsement of the deployment of vigilante security outfits by state governments.
He, however, lamented that the vigilante outfits lack proper training and their deployment is encouraging the proliferation of small arms and light weapons across the country.
“The recent developments in our country have filled me with deep personal concern about the state of our national affairs.
“Having served within the system for many years, I am aware that the primary responsibility for tackling the escalating insecurity in Nigeria rests with the Federal Government, in collaboration with state and local governments as well as other critical stakeholders.
“Regrettably, it appears the Federal Government is overwhelmed. This is evident in its tacit endorsement to allow state governments to establish and deploy vigilante security outfits with little or no professional training. Such a policy, however well-intentioned, has inadvertently facilitated the uncontrolled proliferation of small arms and light weapons across the country.
“Worst of all, individuals have begun taking advantage of this by setting up their militia, like we are seeing in the actions of some political elements. Such action further threatens the fragile peace in our country,” Kwankwaso wrote.
Speaking further, the former Minister of Defence raised concerns about the ethnic profiling of certain citizens in other regions of the country as well as cases of hate speech, harassment and intimidation on social media fueled by ethnic and religious bias.
He called on the federal government to take urgent steps in addressing the concerns before it gets out of control.
“Of equal concern is the rising wave of ethnic and regional profiling of Nigerian citizens within their own country. In recent times, we have witnessed disturbing reports of individuals, particularly from a part of the country, being arbitrarily targeted, harassed, arrested, and in some cases tortured in other parts of the country. This is compounded by the growing harassment, intimidation, and hate speech on social media, often fueled by ethnic and religious jingoism. These trends pose a grave threat to national unity and cohesion.
“The Federal Government must act decisively and without delay to reverse these dangerous developments before they spiral further out of control.
“As a former Minister of Defence and Chairman of the Committee on the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, I find the current ease with which arms are being circulated across the country deeply alarming and unacceptable,” Kwankwaso added.
He, however, expressed confidence in the ability of General Christoper Musa (rtd), who was recently appointed as Nigeria’s Minister of Defence, to steady the ship and turn the tide around in favour of the country.
“Finally, I wish to sincerely congratulate General Christopher Gwabin Musa on his well-deserved appointment as Minister of Defence. I am confident that, with the necessary political will and support, he possesses the competence and experience to make a significant difference in restoring security and stability to our nation,” the former presidential candidate concluded.
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