President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday assured that the security challenges were not beyond the capabilities of the nation’s law enforcement agencies, even as he blamed the leadership at the community levels for failures of intelligence gathering. The President, while speaking when he hosted the leaders of Zamfara Advocacy Group at the Presidential Villa, on Monday, assured that security agencies were capable of safeguarding the country, its people and property. He described as “unfortunate” the “failure of local leadership in intelligence gathering,” and enjoined community and traditional leaders to monitor closely the activities of people in their domain with a view to assisting law enforcement agencies secure the communities.
The military and the police have been taking drastic measures to check the activities of some local elements threatening the peace of the communities, including preventing farmers from going to their farms, he said. According to Buhari, “I assure you, I get daily reports from people in the field and traditional rulers. I also meet regularly with the leadership of the security agencies, and they have been directed to deploy their personnel to secure the society.”
Commending the new governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, for being proactive in addressing the security challenges, the President urged royal fathers to go back to their cultural roles.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Usman Balarabe, while congratulating President Buhari on his re-election, said the “situation in Zamfara remains dire,” citing increased attacks, deaths, injuries and displacements.
According to Balarabe, “We are here because we believe Mr President and his administration can put in place solid measures to bring about peace and security, and also mitigate the endemic poverty that has made this region one of the poorest in the world.”
The delegation, which also included the wife of the governor of Kaduna State, Asia Mohammed Ahmed, and journalist, Kadaria Ahmed, called for greater collaboration among stakeholders, securing the borders, and permanently situating a major military presence in the state, among other suggestions.
