Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi has visited the National Headquarters of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Abuja to hail the Corps for its crucial contributions to maintaining internal security in the country.
The Governor expressed his satisfaction with the Corps’ performance across the nation and commended the Commandant General, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, for his exceptional leadership, which was evident through his hard work, dedication, and patriotism.
“I want to thank you for the good and commendable performance of the Corps in the area of internal security.
“Within just two years, you have transformed the agency through your hardwork and repositioned it for better performance,” Audi said.
He relayed to the CG about the apprehensions raised by farmers in the state regarding the continuous attacks by herders, which have instilled fear over the years.
He then pleaded for the immediate involvement of the Corps to ensure the safety of farmers in the affected region and restore their confidence to resume farming without any restrictions.
“I want to passionately appeal to you to give us a squad or a team of your Agro Rangers who are well trained and specialised in dealing with the issue at hand.
“If we have that opportunity, it will bring a lasting peace to the area, our people would be able to go to the farm and economic activities in the areas will certainly improve”, he said.
The Governor emphasized that Jigawa State plays a significant role in ensuring the food security of the nation. He highlighted that the affected area serves as a crucial hub for food production, catering to the needs of both the state’s residents and the entire country.
In response, Dr. Audi expressed gratitude to the Executive Governor for his visit. He assured that well-trained Agro Rangers personnel would be dispatched to the state in order to address the long-standing conflicts between farmers and herders. Dr. Audi pledged to work towards implementing sustainable solutions to these issues.
“By our Act, NSCDC is mandated to protect and provide security for government’s critical national assets and infrasructure.
“We have over 10,000 staff in the Agro Rangers’ department that are well trained to provide security and safety for farmers and other agro allied products and investments in the nation.
“We concentrate on states that are major producers of food for this nation and Jigawa is one of the states that give food security to this country.
“We have been getting intelligence reports on the way bandits and kidnappers scare farmers and since we have some reserve personnel for this kind of request, we will provide the service that you need”, he said.
Dr. Audi expressed his gratitude to Gov. Namadi for the valuable support provided to the Corps in Jigawa State. He gave assurance that the Corps is committed to resolving the security challenges plaguing the agricultural sector.
Also, he noted that greater emphasis would be placed on peacebuilding initiatives, specifically through the utilization of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR). He highlighted the success of the Corps in amicably resolving more than 100 farmer/herder clashes in the past two years through ADR.