SIR: Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State recently requested that a theatre command should be created in Kaduna State to aid in the fight against banditry. His call, albeit justifiable, would have made more sense if Kaduna State was the only state being terrorized by murderous and incessant bandits. Sokoto, Niger, Zamfara and Katsina states are not facing similar plights for Kaduna state alone to get such attention.

There have to be economically sustainable and impactful solutions in this fight, along with the several efforts already in place by the states and federal government. There has to be a solution that will not affect the already over-stretched security expenditure. Most of the attacks and kidnappings were reported to have happened along and near major highways connecting these major states and their local governments. If travellers are not being blocked and kidnapped, villages and towns within some radii of the roads are being attacked.

Recently, the federal government through its executive council approved the re-introduction of toll-gates on its roads across the country. The security challenges in the Northwest have created a justification for the return of toll-gates in this zone. These toll-gates should however come with revamped purpose and application. For instance, a sub-account under the treasury single account (TSA) should be created to warehouse the proceeds of the toll-gates, through an electronic collection mode.

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The intended purpose for the reintroduction of the toll-gates may be for the maintenance of the roads and the repayment of investors who built the infrastructure alone. However, securing of the lives of travellers on these roads daily is one of the main duties of government, and any funds paid by them while plying the roads should ensure their safety from terrorists as much as it should protect them from poor state. I doubt if the state of the roads, poor or otherwise, worries travellers more than the assurances that they will not be kidnapped. I had recently travelled through Sokoto to Gusau, Zaria, Kaduna and finally stopped at my destination in Abuja. I was never for once worried about the evidently poor state of the roads on the route. I only constantly muted silent prayers to my creator all through, while I drove through the terrorists’-infested crime scenes. I was terrorized to my guts.

All toll-gates established should have alongside them joint security response stations, and not theatre commands, that will patrol specified areas within some established miles radii, and also respond rapidly to distress calls. A percentage of the funds accrued from the toll-gates will go to the deployment, logistics and remuneration of the personnel working to secure these roads. This will surely imply the removal of all police and military checkpoints. It will also create a sense of responsibility for the protection of the people within the defined geographical space. Again, this should not come at any extra cost to the government. People who travel (and they must) would simply be paying extra for their protection. The onus would now be on the security forces to keep travellers safe at all times. For the northwest, toll-gates should come faster than planned.

• Sulaiman Aliyu, Katsina.