Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, says north-west governors may resort to mercenaries to protect their citizens if the military fails to wipe out bandits.
Speaking in an interview at the presidential villa, el-Rufai said he has informed President Muhammadu Buhari that if military actions are not taken against bandits, governors from the zone may hire mercenaries to defend their people.
The governor, who spoke in Hausa, added that the rising insecurity in Kaduna is an attempt to cripple the economy of the state and the north. “That is why I have come to see Mr President and also I have said that, if these actions are not taken, it becomes a must for us as governors to take measures to protect our citizens, even if it means we will import mercenaries from outside the country to do it, if our soldiers fail.
I swear to God, we will do that. This issue has got to an alarming state. Mr President assured me that he will take action and that this thing will be brought to an end within months. It is certainly an attempt to cripple the economy of Kaduna and that of northern Nigeria entirely. All these are only happening in the north — it is a disturbing development.
All these are happening in Kaduna because people are investing in Kaduna, that is what they want to stop, they want to spoil Kaduna, which is the nerve centre of the north — the nerve centre of Nigeria politics. Some people say they are doing it because of me; it is not because of me, they want to fight President Muhammadu Buhari, fight our party and fight the north. El-Rufai further noted that the perpetrators of the attacks want to impoverish the zone because of the 2023 general election.”
