The North-West Governors and Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed IGP Mohammed Adamu u, yesterday, stormed Katsina State for a crucial meeting over spate of insecurity, including kidnapping and other violent crimes bedeviling the region Among those that attended the meeting were Governor Aminu Masari (Katsina), Governor Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal (Sokoto), Governor Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Governor Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) and Deputy Governor of Niger while Governor Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) was said to be on his way. Others were Commandant, 17 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, AIG in charge of Zone One, Commissioners of Police of the states, other top government functionaries, leadership of the Miyyeti Allah group, Vigilante group, Yansakai and repentant among others. Convener of the meeting, Adamu while addressing the gathering before it went into a close door session, said the meeting was borne out of the sanity achieved by the peace talk in place in Zamfara State, hence the need to return to Katsina where it was first initiated to review and brainstorm on ways to ensure peace was attained in the region as a whole and country. According to the IGP, “it is indeed an opportunity to be in Katsina today for the purpose of coordinating our activities with a view to finding lasting solution to the security challenges we are facing in North western part of Nigeria. “Our meeting today is in view of what we have been doing for a very long time. Before today, there have been a lot of initiatives within the North western part of this country on how to cooperate and stop the killings that are taking place between one community and the other and so also the kidnappings and other security challenges. “We knew sometimes ago this initiative started here in Katsina and this year, another initiative came up in Kebbi State where the Governor of Kebbi State summonedinterested parties and a lot of discussions took place that led to an initiative in Zamfara, which led to some sanity now in Zamfara. “And we felt that to continue the follow up, we need to go to where it all started (Katsina). That is why we came to Katsina today to review all that we’ve done that led us to success in Zamfara and to see those things that worked and those that didn’t work with a view to making them work.” (Banditry, kidnapping) “So that the whole of the western part of the region can be peaceful and everybody can go back to their normal lives and businesses without hindrance. “We know we are farmers, we should be able to go back to our farms. We are cattle breeders, we should be able to have opportunity to breed our cattle without molestation. And that is the reason why we are here today with other stakeholders to brainstorm to add to the successes we have. So that at the end of the day, other parts of the country will emulate what has been done in the North western part of the country so that there will be total peace within this country.” Earlier, Governor Aminu Masari of Kastina State, said of insecurity like Banditry, kidnapping that, “This is a continuation of what we started at various times and various states of effort of the IGP to mobilise support, understanding of all concerned to ensure that peace will once again reign not only in our region (Northwestern region) but the whole of the country.” Banditry: “We commended the initiative of the IGP and to assure you that we as a Government, we are fully aware of our responsibility of ensuring and securing lives, properties and we’ll being of our people. So we are ever ready anytime, anywhere to give maximum support to ensure that the lives of our people are well protected,” Governor Masari said.
