The Emir of Kotorkoshi, in Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara state, His Royal Highness Abubakar Ahmad Umar, has attributed the infiltrations of foreigners and the presence of mineral resources like gold for the security situation in Zamfara state and northern Nigeria.
The Emir stated this when Defence Correspondents who were on a tour of Operation Hadarin Daji led by , Deputy Director Coordination of Media Operations Brigadier General Mohammed Dahiru Abumawashi visited his palace in Zamfara.
The Royal father who noted that disagreements between Fulanis and Hausas over cattle rearing, farming and grazing land were initially the main cause of the conflict, noted that the situation has been aggravated by the discovery of gold and other mineral resources in the region.
“The truth is that there are foreign collaborators in the security situation in the North.
“Our people have been killed, other Nigerians have also been killed. The more security agencies kill the armed Fulanis, the more their numbers increase. Today the military and other security agencies will go after them and kill them, tomorrow another set will come and attack our people.
“They come in from Mali, Burkina Faso and other places, kill our people and loot our resources.”
He also blamed inequality and selfish politicians for prioritizing party interests over national security, a situation he described as unpatriotic.
“Politics is another reason why insecurity has lingered. If a governor brings an initiative to address insecurity, those from the other political party will not support him. The political class must bury their differences by being patriotic if we must tackle the menace of insecurity,”
“To end banditry in Nigeria, there must be equality. Nigerians especially the poor have been denied basic things of life by the political class. Some politicians without university degrees earn far way above graduates and even soldiers who sacrifice the comfort for the country.
“The resources of the country are not evenly distributed amongst the citizens. The gap between the political class and ordinary citizens is too wide”, he said.
The Emir called for a holistic solution to the problem, urging the federal, state and local governments to work together to identify the root causes of the insecurity.
He advocated for increased military force against the perpetrators and improved welfare for security personnel.
According to him, “The government must use maximum force against the perpetrators to show them that they are in charge.
“Our military has over the years gone to foreign countries and made us proud. The security challenges in our country are not beyond them.”
He urged the media and human rights groups to be more objective in their reporting of military operations.
Brigedier General Abumawashi charged the community to collaborate with the military to end insecurity in the area.
He assured the citizens that the Armed Forces’ is ever ready to support to protect them.
