The 19 northern governors Sunday expressed worry over porous borders, which have resulted in high level insecurity in the region.
The governors, who spoke under the aegis of Northern Governors’ Foum, attributed this to the banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping and Boko Haram insurgency that have claimed hundreds of lives in the north
Chairman, Northern Governors Forum Security Committee and governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, who expressed the concern of the governors, stated this while declaring open the maiden meeting of its technical committee saddled with responsibility to find lasting solution to insecurity in the region.
Governor Masari said the insecurity challenges were daily being imported from neighboring countries, hence the need to control the borders.
He said: “You are to look at why the sub-committee was formed, coming from the backdrop of two to three major issues of banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping and Boko Haram, even though Boko Haram which occupies a special place of its own, is being dealt with by the federal government.
”But at the same time, there are signs of infiltration in some parts of the country. And we have to make suggestions as to how do we control the borders because some of the problems we are facing today are daily imported from our neighbouring countries.
“So you are expected to give us the idea on the role of state, local government and federal government as well as what is expected of each and every tier of government.
“But certainly, i will not advise that you delve too much on communal, tribal, religious crisis. They are there and will continue to be with us. And if you are to go in there, why have we failed to manage it the way we managed it well before?”
The governor expressed confidence in the calibre of members of the technical committee, saying they had understanding of the underlying issues on insecurity.
“I hope you will come up with something that is practicable and doable within limited resources and limited time to achieve certain level of normalcy in our community,” Governor Masari said.
Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, in his welcome address, expressed the hope that the meeting would discuss thoroughly the issues that would help to end the current insecurity challenges in the North.
Inuwa, who doubles as chairman of the technical committee, said that the committee was set up by the security committee of the Northern Governor’s Forum to deliberate and find lasting solution to issues of security in the region.
In his vote of thanks remark, Muhammad Wakili, the former Commissioner of Police in Katsina and Kano states and current Special Adviser on Security to Gombe State Governor, lauded the Northern Governors Forum for taking the issue of security seriously and giving it the desired support and attention.
Wakili, however, assured that participants at the meeting would give in their best for security challenges to be overcome completely.
The meeting later went into technical session and a communique is expected to be issued at the end.
