The Kaduna State Government has said synergy among security agencies is responsible for the success so far recorded in the fight against banditry and other forms of criminality in the North West zone.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, said this at the second quarter North-West Zone security meeting organised by the Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday in Kaduna.
Aruwan stressed the need for stakeholders to re-commit to working together toward checkmating insecurity in the zone.
According to him, considering the current profile of security challenges where banditry is now fused with terrorist threats, collaboration, especially among various state commands of the DSS is more pertinent.
“The different constitutional mandates of security agencies and the immense strain on their numerical strength demand that they must be on the same page, especially in terms of intelligence gathering and sharing.
“We have previously emphasised the need for greater inter-agency collaboration. Happily, we are seeing some significant improvement in this regard,’’ Aruwan said.
He said that “team work makes the dream work’’ with each one bringing a “crucial piece to the intelligence puzzle’’.
The commissioner said that this was necessary especially in “times when the challenges have blurred state lines and operate with no delineation between territories’’.
“The underlying psychology which we as state governments and state commands must work with at this time is that of one team, one fight.
“Our states must work as one team because our fight has clearly become one fight.’’
According to him, anything less than collaborative spirit may turn our best efforts into liabilities instead of assets to the entire security architecture.
He said that collaboration was both a means of achieving an objective and an objective itself, adding “the benefits to each state, DSS and to sister security agencies are numerous’’.
“Closer collaboration will enable individual state government plan for adequate financial support to fill logistic and technical gaps,’’ Aruwan said.
Aruwan said that the various states in the zone and DSS commands must consolidate on existing collaborative efforts and intensify same toward protecting lives and property of the people.
Earlier, DSS Director in Kaduna State, Mr Idris Koya said the periodic meeting was originated by the Director-General of the DSS, Alhaji Yusuf Bichi.
Koya said the meeting was to enable the state directors in the zone come together and brainstorm on the changing spate of insecurity bedeviling the North West.
“To exchange ideas and proffer possible solution that would aid in tackling contemporary threats effectively, efficiently and with minimum cost.
According to him, the region is currently confronted by threats of kidnapping, banditry, insurgency, famers/herders conflicts and arms trafficking.
He added that concerted effort was required to address those threats, including the input of the respective state government.
“Our successful operations are made possible and easy through the requisite working tools provided by the state governments”.
“I wish to recommend to my colleagues from other security outfits to tow similar pattern of convening regular zonal security meetings toward robust discussion on security threats confronting the zone.’’
The Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, Mr Umar Muri, who spoke on behalf of sister agencies, said the meeting was organised at the right time.
According to Muri, there must be synergy in the fight against banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities in the zone. (NAN)
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