The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Saad Abubakar III, stated that it will take decades for the bandit-ravaged North-West geopolitical zone to overcome its severe security challenges.
He made this remark on Monday at the North-West Peace and Security Summit in Katsina State. Sultan Abubakar, who is also the President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), emphasized the long-term efforts needed to address the region’s security issues.
“What we must do is to challenge these bandits because we all know the consequences of banditry and insurgency on our lives. But it will take decades to get out of it if all we get out of it. We all know the consequences and the problems,” he said.
The Sultan expressed the readiness of traditional rulers to collaborate with security agencies and the seven governors of the geopolitical zone to “save our region from the numerous problems” of banditry and insurgency.
He was optimistic that the summit would yield proposals to reduce insurgency to its barest minimum, allowing people to resume their daily lives and businesses.
The summit was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima, representing President Bola Tinubu; former President Muhammadu Buhari; the governors of the seven states in the North-West geopolitical zone; service chiefs; and the Inspector General of Police.
Banditry has become rampant in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano, and Jigawa over the past decade, as a spillover from the persistent Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East zone.
Thousands of people, mainly vulnerable individuals, have been killed or displaced by these marauders, who often disguise themselves as herders. Many others have been kidnapped for ransom as the AK-47-wielding bandits proliferate across the North-West and into the North Central zone.
Non-kinetic approaches by various levels of government have failed over the years, as bandits continue to drive farmers from their lands, significantly impacting the country’s food production.