Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the former governor of Kano State, has voiced serious worries about Nigeria’s present insecurity issues.
In a personally signed message posted on his 𝕏 account on Monday, Kwankwaso reportedly bemoaned the federal government’s seeming overload and inability to adequately address the nation’s security issues.
He claims that state governments’ support for the use of vigilante security groups exposes the federal government’s shortcomings.
However, he bemoaned the fact that the vigilante groups lack the necessary training and that their use is promoting the spread of small arms and light weapons throughout the nation.
“I am deeply concerned about the situation of our national affairs in light of recent occurrences in our country.
“Having worked in the system for many years, I am aware that the Federal Government, working with state and local governments and other important partners, has the major responsibility for addressing the growing insecurity in Nigeria.
Unfortunately, the Federal Government seems to be overburdened. Its implicit support for state governments creating and deploying vigilante security groups with little to no professional training is clear evidence of this. Despite its good intentions, this strategy has unintentionally made it easier for small arms and light weapons to proliferate unchecked throughout the nation.
The worst part is that some have started to take advantage of this by organizing militias, as some political figures are doing. According to Kwankwaso, “such action further threatens the fragile peace in our country.”
The former minister of defense went on to express worries about instances of hate speech, harassment, and intimidation on social media that are motivated by religious and ethnic prejudice, as well as the ethnic profiling of certain residents in other parts of the nation.
Before the issues get out of hand, he urged the federal government to act quickly to address them.
The growing trend of Nigerian residents being profiled based on their ethnicity and area is equally concerning. Unsettling stories of people being unjustly targeted, harassed, arrested, and in some cases tortured in other parts of the country have surfaced recently, especially from one region of the country. This is exacerbated by the rise in hate speech, intimidation, and harassment on social media, which is frequently motivated by religious and ethnic jingoism. These patterns seriously jeopardize the cohesiveness and unity of the country.
“The Federal Government needs to take swift, firm action to stop these risky trends before they get out of hand.
Kwankwaso continued, “As a former Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Committee on the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons, I find the current ease with which arms are circulating across the country deeply alarming and unacceptable.”
However, he expressed faith in General Christoper Musa (rtd), who was just nominated as Nigeria’s Minister of Defense, to stabilize the situation and turn the tide in the nation’s favor.
Lastly, I would like to express my warmest congratulations to General Christopher Gwabin Musa on his merited appointment as Minister of Defense. The former presidential candidate said, “I am confident that he possesses the competence and experience to significantly contribute to restoring security and stability to our nation with the necessary political will and support.”
