Poverty, unemployment driving banditry, says Gov Uba Sani

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani has blamed poverty, unemployment, and the lack of essential infrastructure in rural communities for the rising insecurity in Nigeria, urging leaders to take full responsibility rather than politicise the issue.

Speaking 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, Governor Sani said banditry in the North-West is largely driven by neglect and economic hardship, unlike the ideologically motivated Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.

Representing President Bola Tinubu as Special Guest of Honour at the Jamaátu Izalatul Bidáh Wa ‘iqamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS) event, the governor dismissed claims that insecurity could be resolved solely through military force, describing such rhetoric as political deception.

“Insecurity can’t 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 said.

Sani noted that Nigeria’s military capacity has shrunk despite its massive population growth. “In 1970, after the civil war, Nigeria had about 300,000 soldiers, but today they are less than 250,000, while our population has increased by over 100 million. How then can anyone say that guns alone will solve the problem? It is impossible,” he stressed.

He further lamented the absence of security personnel in large parts of the North-West, saying, “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.”

The governor highlighted Kaduna’s Peace Model, a non-kinetic strategy developed with traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community stakeholders to tackle insecurity. He cited Birnin Gwari as an example, noting that the Emir played a key role in restoring peace after months of dialogue to understand the root causes of the crisis.

“We should not deceive our people by saying President Tinubu or National Security Adviser Ribadu is responsible. We should not expect them to go to Giwa, Birnin Gwari, or the 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 them,” Sani said, adding that he chose the non-kinetic approach because he believes he will be held accountable by God.