Colonial Ahmed Usman( Rtd)
Colonel Ahmed Usman (rtd) iSpecial Adviser to Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto state on Security Matters. In this interview with newsmen spoke on the emerging threat posed by Lakurawa and what is being done to crush them.
Q- There is emerging threat posed by the foreign armed group, locally known as Lakurawa, what do you know about this group?
Well, Lakurawa like you know is another suspected terrorist group operating along the Sahel. This was not their first coming to Nigeria. Some years back, they were said to be invited by some communities leaders around Tangaza, Gudu axis to push away bandits that had been terrorising their communities. It took painstaking efforts of security operatives to send them away. But they came back to the same place and even expanded to other places and this according to the military is as a result of the fallout in our relationship with the Niger Republic. So is a serious threat to our already fragile security. As you are aware Sokoto is one of the states of the Northwestern Nigeria that has been battling with insecurity, especially banditry. Thank God to the sustained commitment of the state government in collaboration with the federal government and security operatives which is yielding positive result because the issue of banditry has subsidized significantly. You hardly hear about bandits’ attacks, although is happening but not like before. Because even some days back they wanted to attack Gatawa community but were vehemently repelled by our gallant soldiers.
The locals were wronged to had invited them earlier. They should have trusted our security operatives who have been up and doing in fighting insecurity in our dear state. But the wrong was already done and I believe they learn their lesson. What remains now is for them to support the government and security operatives in their effort to crush them and restore peace in our communities.
They should provide them with vital information about the movement of members of this group and all other security breaches in their areas.This is the only way we can end insecurity in our dear state.
I know you reported the operational visit of the acting Chief of Army Staff to Sokoto last week. He visited some of the flashpoints in Tangaza and Illela. I am optimistic, something good will come out from his visit. The late Chief of Army Staff did his best, we hope the acting COAS will not only build upon that, but will put more efforts to end security challenges in our dear state and the country at large.
We are grateful to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Ministers of Defence who have made Sokoto their regular point of call. The Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Mutawalle have not only being coming to Sokoto but had visited some of the hotspots of insecurity in the state and just three days ago, the Minister of Defence, Alhaji Muhammed Badaru Abubakar was in Sokoto again and promised to deploy more combat helicopters to the state to fight bandits and Lakurawa. We are grateful to them and the Service Chiefs as well as the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu for his sustained support to our government.
Q-it was said that, this group want to establish a Caliphate within the Sahel, how truth is this?
This is what we have been hearing but we cannot say yes or no because we don’t know their real mission. But what is important is for us to act and to act fast to send them away from the Nigerian Territory. And I am sure our security operatives are working towards that. This is why i always emphasize on community support. Their support is key to the elimination of this group and all other security threats. They should not fold their arms, thinking that, this is a government business. Everyone is a stakeholder in maintaining peace and order in his immediate community, local government, state and country at large.
Q- What is your government doing about the situation?
As you know, our government is very much concern about the lives and properties of its people. This is why security tops the 9-point agenda of His Excellency, Dr Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto. Since inception of this administration,our government have been providing logistic support to security operatives. We provided tens of operational vehicles, including motorcycles to security agencies and we restored their allowances in addition to other measures taken like the creation of the state owned security outfit which we called Sokoto State Community Guards and they were equipped. Their role is to support the conventional security agencies in the area of intelligence among others.
And the state government has inaugurated a security committee under the leadership of the deputy Governor of the state. The committee comprises security agencies, traditional and religious leaders among other stakeholders in security. In fact, even the latest news about the Lakurawa was broke by the deputy Governor while receiving members of the National Defence College some days ago.
And if you can remember the Minister of State for Defence during his working visit to Sokoto had disclosed the kind of pressure mounted on the federal government by the state government on the need to come to their aid. And the federal government promised to establish more military formations and deploy more personnel as well as equipments to Sokoto state. And remember, the state government has provided facility for the air component of operation “Fansan Yamma'”, now we don’t need to wait for fighter jets to come from Katsina in case of any emergency or air support.
So there has been investment in security infrastructure, including the establishment of more security outposts (FOB ) and upgrading surveillance systems in key locations. The Sokoto State government has strengthened partnerships with federal security agencies to ensure a coordinated approach to tackling security challenges. Similarly, the government has launched public awareness campaigns with the support of United Nation Development Program (UNDP) and other local NGOs to educate citizens on security issues and encourage them to report suspicious activities.
There were also programmes aimed at empowering youths to discourage their
involvement in crime and violence. The government has set up a conflict resolution mechanisms to address disputes before they escalate into violence, promoting peace in communities just as it has been mediating between farmers and herdsmen to reduce conflicts over lands and resources, which can lead to insecurity. There has been massive investment in Social Welfare aimed at alleviating poverty, which is often the root cause of insecurity. And we hold regular security meetings with stakeholders to assess the security situation and develop strategies for improvement.
So the state government is doing it best to protect the lives and properties of its citizens. What we want is constant support and prayers so that our effort would continue to yield positive results.
Q-people have been hearing all these efforts being made by the state government and security agencies, but why this problem persists?
well, there is a lot of reasons why we are still having security challenges despite all the measures put in place by various governments. No matter how much you are spending on security as long as inter-agency rivalry still exists, you will not get it right. Our problem is lack of synergy or collaboration among our security operatives as well as leaders of the local communities.
What I mean by synergy, just like how one scholar put it “refers to the idea of multiple organizations, departments, or teams working together to produce something of value. In the context of security, synergy can refer to; Data synergy combining data from various security measures, such as access control and fire alarms, to identify vulnerabilities, patterns, or anomalies. This data-driven approach can help organizations improve their security measures.
So synergy means putting efforts together to achieve a common goal; it means intelligent sharing because we have different security agencies with different responsibilities. We have military, we have border security, we have police who are every where, we have Civil Defence corps, we have DSS, we even have registered vigilantes among others. All these are stakeholders in security and have a role to play in combatting security challenges in the country. So there should a synergy between them, they must work together in intelligent gathering and sharing and in fighting internal and transborder crimes. Without a synergy, I don’t think we can achieve the desired result of eliminating terrorists and any security threat in our country.
Are there other things that need to be done to do away with these challenges?
yes of course. Our security agencies, especially the military needs modern equipments. The country need more security personnel and effective border policies and surveillance. One will also understand that, insecurity is a product of poverty, unemployment, corruption, inequality, poor government policies, especially by the former administration , and weak judicial system. All these need to be addressed to achieve a lasting and sustainable peace in the country.
