• Sokoto gov unveils N27.1bn security assets, seeks tougher law against bandits, informants
Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa, has ordered security personnel to engage armed bandits and terrorists immediately without waiting for further instructions from command.
This was as the Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, has unveiled a fresh security intervention worth N27.127 billion, as part of efforts to contain banditry and other violent crimes across the state.
Speaking yesterday in Sokoto during the commissioning of security assets, Musa said the era of delay in responding to attacks must end, and that any operative who failed to act on the grounds of awaiting orders would be viewed as collaborating with criminals.
Issuing what amounted to a shoot-on-sight directive, the minister warned that inaction would no longer be tolerated.
“Anybody who refuses to shoot or kill any bandit or terrorist in the name of waiting for an order, we will treat you like a bandit,” he declared.
He stressed that troops must be proactive once deployed to their areas of operation.
The directive came as the Sokoto State Government handed over 62 operational vehicles and security equipment worth N27.127 billion to security agencies.
The procurement, according to officials, was aimed at strengthening the fight against banditry, terrorism and kidnapping not only in Sokoto but across the Northwest region.
Musa noted that the new armoured vehicles and tactical equipment would significantly improve operational mobility, intelligence gathering and force protection for troops on the ground.
He described the intervention as timely and critical given the persistent security challenges in the region.
The defence minister praised Aliyu for what he called strategic leadership and responsible governance.
He said the governor’s consistent support to security agencies with logistics and equipment had set Sokoto apart as a model of state-government collaboration in tackling insecurity.
Aliyu, while presenting the assets, gave a breakdown of the procurement. He said the items included bulletproof vehicles, Buffalo Armoured Personnel Carriers, 320 motorcycles, 3,200 security gadgets, 2,000 bulletproof helmets and vests, 200 night-vision goggles, thermal devices and other tactical equipment.
He explained that the distribution formed part of his administration’s sustained investment in security since assuming office.
The governor further disclosed that Sokoto had already spent over N36 billion on security interventions.
The previous spending, he said, covered operational vehicles, motorcycles, the construction of military and police barracks, the establishment of the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps, and support for the Nigerian Air Force Base in the state.
While receiving the equipment, Musa cautioned personnel against mismanaging the assets.
“This equipment costs billions of naira. We don’t want to hand them over and then you throw them away or mishandle them. They must serve the purpose for which they were procured,” he warned.
He insisted that accountability must follow the huge investment.