15th December, 2022
By Shuaib Sadiq
Directors of the Department of State Security in North West states are meeting in Zamfara to review the general security situation in the region.
In his speech on Thursday in Gusau, Alhaji Nuhu Umar, the DSS Director in Zamfara said the interface was an initiative of the Director-General of the Service, Mr Yusuf-Magaji Bichi.
Umar said it was intended to enhance synergy among DSS directors across all geo-political zones of the country.
According to him, the conference will deliberate on experiences and intelligence sharing, and proffer solutions to common multifaceted security challenges bedevilling the North West.
Umar said the focus would be on the unfolding scenarios of kidnapping, animal rustling, armed robbery, senseless killings, sexual assault, imposition of illegal levies and destruction of unharvested crops.
He said other areas of attention would include political thuggery, use of illicit substances, illegal mining, ethnoreligious conflict, and economic challenges, among others.
“Another issue of focus during this conference is the presence of suspected members of Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents who are making moves to ally with bandits across the region.
”A situation that is bound to complicate the existing level of insecurity in the zone, if allowed to be achieved,” Umar said.
According to him, the glaring insecurity and its manifestations pose a serious threat to the unity of the country and expose the region to imminent food insecurity and stunted economic growth.
Umar said the conference was an important step in securing the country and its citizens from the activities of criminals “whose mission is to undermine the legitimate pursuit of positive endeavours”.
The director said concrete and implementable resolutions would be provided to contain the criminal trend confronting the region, particularly as the 2023 general elections draw near.
The state Deputy Governor, Sen. Hassan Nasiha, who declared the conference open, commended security agencies in the state for their efforts in combating the security challenges in Zamfara.
He assured the security agencies of government support in the effort to rid the state of security challenges.
Nasiha, however, called on the security agencies to re-strategize so as to overcome the current security challenges.
On his part, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmed-Anka, Chairman Zamfara Council of Chiefs and Emir of Anka, expressed the council’s readiness to support all security agencies in the effort to combat banditry and other criminal activities in the state.