Governor Nasir El-Rufai

Femi Adi

In a bid to address the problem of cattle rustling and cross border crimes in the north west and north central geo-political zones, governors of Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano and Sokoto met in Kaduna on Saturday with the heads of security agencies of the affected states to appraise how the bandits who have been terrorizing the affected states.

Governor-Abdulaziz Yari

Briefing journalists at the end of the meeting, Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara state who spoke on behalf of the governors, said the states have agreed to collaborate with the Federal Government to find a lasting solution to the problem.

He hinted that the security operations would be expanded to focus on the forest areas where the notorious rustlers and bandits operate from. He however, assured about the readiness of the affected state governments to provide logistic support to enhance the operations of security operatives in their effort to dislodge the rustlers that have been terrorizing herdsmen and farmers over the years.

According to Governor Yari, besides the plans to enhance the security in the region, the governors have also come up with a plan on youth empowerment and job creation that will be implemented by various states to train the youths on skills acquisition in order for them not to get involved in crime.

While lamenting that the menace of cattle rustling in most states in the north has become a nightmare for residents of the region, with over 30,000 cows and other livestock stolen by armed bandits in the past one year, he said it is expected that regular meetings such as this one will go a long way in reducing the recurring cases of cattle rustling and other associated crimes in the region.