The Katsina State governor, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, has tackled security issues with unprecedented
energy and ideas to tame criminality and criminal activities in his first 100 days in office.
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State and chairman of Garkuwan Gwagwaren Katsina Youth Solidarity Movement, Alhaji Muhammad Nura Dyola, made the disclosure in an interview with journalists on Monday.
He said the primary responsibility of any government is first the security of lives and property and the current administration in Katsina State doesn’t joke with the onerous responsibility.
He restated that, “Security is one of the main pillars of the Governor
Dikko Radda-led administration. In the last 100 days, he has invested
so much money in providing the necessary equipment to the security
agencies to carry out their duties in Katsina State. The government
has also employed various strategies to tackle security challenges in
Katsina State, including initiating measures for more effective intelligence gathering and policing the entry and exit points of the state.”
According to Dyola, Governor Radda set the ball rolling by establishing a Ministry of Internal Security, adding that prior to this, he had visited the National Institute for Security Studies in Abuja aimed at
building security-centered synergy on how banditry and other kidnapping-related activities in Katsina State would be brought to an end.
He further disclosed that, determined to fight security challenges in
the state headlong, the state government sent an Executive Bill, the
Katsina Community Watch Bill, to the State House of Assembly for passage into law.
The Bill, when signed into law, will enable the government to recruit
2,400 Security Corps that would be sent to the frontline local government areas to maintain peace and order.
“A committee was set up to handle the entire process of recruitment and it is headed by a retired General and former GOC, Major General Junaid Bindawa, and it has commenced work,” Dyola said.
He further stated that the governor continued his good work by
visiting the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, where he interfaced with the
Chief of Defence Staff and Chief of the Naval Staff and discussed vital security issues that affect Katsina State and its people.
Governor Radda, he said, continued his selfless service by convening
stakeholders, peace and security meetings with traditional rulers,
village heads and religious leaders as well as heads of security
agencies to discuss effective feasible approaches to ending insecurity
in the state.
He added that Radda’s administration within the first 100 days in office also approved an unprecedented sum of N7.8 billion for the purchase of
security equipment to combat banditry and other criminalities in the
state.
“We should thank Governor Radda for signing the Security Challenges
Containment Order; the order ban the movement of commercial
motorcycles and tricycles in the state from 8pm to 6am in 19 local
government areas prone to terrorist attack.
“The order also includes that all lorries and trucks carrying firewood
and cattle from the forest are banned while the sales of cattle at
Safana, Batsari, Faskari, and Sabuwa local government areas are
suspended indefinitely.
“He also personally led security operatives to raid criminal hideouts
in the state capital.
“I call on people of the state to pray and support Governor Radda in his effort to change the narratives of governance in Katsina State,” Dyola stated.