…assures on state police, forest guard upgrade
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed an immediate review of security operations in Katsina State following recent attacks by bandits, pledging the deployment of advanced military hardware, drones, and surveillance systems to restore peace in the state.
The President issued the directive on Tuesday evening while receiving a delegation of eminent citizens from Katsina, led by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, at the State House, Abuja.
He said security agencies must adopt smarter strategies to meet the urgent needs of citizens and deliver daily reports on developments in the state.
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said, “I have today directed all the security agencies to energise further and look at the strategies. We have approved the additional acquisition of drones.
“The security challenges that we are facing are surmountable. Yes, we have porous borders. We inherited weaknesses that could have been addressed earlier. It is a challenge that we must fix, and we are facing it”, Tinubu said.
The President assured the delegation that the federal government will consider the creation of state police and strengthen recently deployed forest guards to improve grassroots security.
He decried the politicisation of the state police debate, stressing that exigencies in states like Katsina require security outfits familiar with the terrain and local culture.
“I am reviewing all the aspects of security; I have to create a state police. We are looking at that holistically. We will defeat insecurity. We must protect our children, our people, our livelihood, our places of worship, and our recreational spaces. They can’t intimidate us,” he said.
President Tinubu also assured that former President Muhammadu Buhari would be immortalised, describing his late predecessor as a leader who left behind a legacy of strength.
“The time we lost our brother, President Buhari, is a loss for all of us. It is the will of God Almighty, but he has left in a good way. He didn’t hand over a defeated country, a battered political structure, but a legacy of success, and that is the most important thing,” the President said.
Governor Radda expressed gratitude for the President’s consistent support, noting that Katsina had benefited from key appointments and infrastructure projects under his administration.
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He urged further federal backing in security, youth empowerment, and development.
“Mr President, I would like to thank you very much, and I want to say before our elders that there was never a time I came to the President with a request that he rejected. We thank you, Mr President, for sharing with Katsina. You are a true son of Katsina State. I recall that Katsina is the first state you visited and spent a night there. We thank you for the privilege”, Radda said.
Former Governor Aminu Bello Masari, in a vote of thanks, hailed the President for honouring Buhari with what he described as a “true state funeral,” while pledging the loyalty of the people of Katsina.
The Waziri of Katsina, Senator Ibrahim Ida, lauded Tinubu for ensuring the completion of strategic infrastructure such as the Kano-Maradi Rail project.
He called for the upgrade of the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport and urged greater federal attention to insecurity in Southern Katsina.