Guns alone won’t solve insecurity problem — Uba Sani

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

Kaduna – Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has cautioned opposition politicians against politicising insecurity, warning that claims that bandits could be “carpet-bombed” out of existence are misleading and deceptive.

The governor gave the charge on Saturday at the public presentation of “Where I Stand”, a book written by the late Sheikh Abubakar Mahmud Gumi and translated into Arabic by Sheikh Ibrahim Jalo Jalingo.

The event, organised by Jama’atu Izalatul Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), had Governor Sani standing in for President Bola Tinubu as Special Guest of Honour, while also serving as Chief Host.

According to him, unlike the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East which is ideologically driven, the insecurity ravaging the North-West is rooted in poverty, unemployment and neglect of rural communities.

“Insecurity cannot be resolved solely through the use of firearms. Whoever makes such a claim is only playing politics. We must fear God and stop deceiving the people, because that approach will not work,” he declared.

The governor lamented Nigeria’s dwindling security manpower despite rapid population growth.
“In 1970, after the civil war, Nigeria had about 300,000 soldiers. Today, they are less than 250,000, while our population has increased by over 100 million. How then can anyone say guns alone will solve the problem? It is impossible,” he said.

Sani also decried the absence of security presence across vast areas of the North-West.
“If you travel to Zamfara, Birnin Gwari or the forests of Katsina, you can go for about 50 kilometres without meeting a single policeman, not to talk of a soldier. We have vast areas in this country without any security personnel,” he noted.

The governor explained that the Kaduna Peace Model, which emphasises a non-kinetic approach, was community-driven and involved traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders. He cited Birnin Gwari, where the Emir spearheaded efforts that brought relative peace after six months of engagement to understand the root causes of insecurity.

“We discovered that poverty, unemployment, lack of schools, hospitals, and commerce in rural areas pushed people into crime,” he revealed, insisting that leaders must take responsibility rather than shifting blame.

“We should not deceive our people by saying President Tinubu or National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu is responsible. We should not expect them to go to Giwa, Birnin Gwari or Dansadau forest to solve the problem for us. We were elected by the people, and it is our duty to do everything possible to protect our people,” he declared.

“I decided to embark on the non-kinetic approach to address insecurity in Kaduna State because it’s me that God will hold responsible in the hereafter,” he added.

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