Bafarawa Accuses Governors of fueling insecurity with Security Votes

Bafarawa Accuses Governors of fueling insecurity with Security Votes
… Launches Foundation for Peace and Security

A former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa, has corroborated the recent claim by the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, that governors have been cashing on the growing spate of insecurity across the country to inflate their security votes.

Bafarawa, who affirmed the accusation leveled against the governors by the EFCC Boss, said while the wave of banditry, cattle rustling, kidnapping, communal clashes and general insurgency, seems to be on the rise; the state governors are getting ‘richer’ as a result of the increase in the allocations set aside for their security votes.

The erstwhile Governor of ‘The Seat of the Caliphate’, noted that the spiral effects of poverty, ignorance, unemployment and several other developmental challenges bedeviling the North is the reason why its able-bodied youths have resorted to perpetrating all kidnapping, rustling, and all sorts of criminalities for livelihood.

Bafarawa, spoke in Abuja, at a press conference on the forthcoming “National Security and Peace Development Summit”, to be organized by his pet Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the Attahiru Bafarawa Foundation.

He said the Foundation seeks to support the strengthening of institutional capacity of those charged with managing crimes by promoting processes that enhance broader societal participation in them, greater coordination and deepened accountability.

“Through expertise, technical assistance, knowledge production and dissemination, the Foundation seeks to enhance policy and practice of decision makers and implementers on issues related to crime, conflict and violence.

“It is against this backdrop that the Bafarawa Foundation has supported the partnership of Kaduna State Government, the Community and other Northern State Governments such as Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kano, Jigawa and Zamfara to undertake this resolution program.

“This meeting arose from concerns among government institutions, social, political activists and security agencies about the escalation of crime and youth involvement in these crimes in Nigeria, which were all too often linked to insatiable quest for wealth production, terrorism and extremism.

“The oversimplification of the phenomenon by commentators and reporters had the potential of undermining efforts at resolution. In fact, poor understanding held the potential of doing harm to the resolution process. We therefore agreed with stakeholders that there was need to understand the different dimensions and complex character of the various incidences of crime occurring mostly in North Central and North West Nigeria,” he added.

Former Governor Bafarawa, pointed out that violent crime in the country is highly concentrated in specific underserved urban areas, and is higher in areas where trust in the security agents and the broader state is lower.

He said as violent crime literally claims or dominates the lives of so many youth and communities, the country on the whole is robbed of much of its human and economic potential.

He said: “These neighbourhoods and communities have higher rates of poverty, unemployment, lower educational attainment, low social capital, poor housing stock, and low levels of investment in public spaces.

“Inequality and relative poverty provide a fertile ground for crime; and in turn, high levels of crime and violence interfere with human, social and economic development. The security situation, ineffective security governance and social development arrangements undermine Nigerian’s ability to establish and maintain a viable economy that can sustain acceptable levels of wellbeing for the majority of its citizens, particularly the young and vulnerable.”

Alh. Bafarawa, explained that his Foundation seeks to reduce the involvement of individuals in crime, instill a culture of law among all citizens, and restore public trust in the protective services.

“I hope that the findings and resolution of the forthcoming National Security and Peace Development Summit powered by our Foundation will contribute to ongoing efforts by both the Federal, State Governments and community groups to address the recurrent violence. This platform for sharing ideas and recommendations will also hopefully help bridge the gap between research and policy by making knowledge available to those charged with making change happen,” he concluded.

By PRNigeria