Boko Haram: El-Rufai raises alarm over terrorists moving into Kaduna

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has expressed concerns about the emergence of insurgents and their enclaves in the Chukun and Birnin Gwari Local Government Areas of Kaduna.

El-Rufai listed the insurgents as those belonging to Boko Haram and Ansaru.

He raised the concerns after the presentation of the Kaduna State Security Incident Report for the first quarter of 2022 on Thursday.

The governor also expressed worry at the increasing use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Kaduna, which he claimed suggested that terrorists had moved into Kaduna State.

According to El-Rufai, the assailants made comments such as: “the forests in Kaduna are even better than that of Sambisa and so they should all relocate here.’’

He stressed that “insecurity has moved from the Northeast to the Northwest.

He said, “The situation in the Northwest is far more serious and could be potentially more dangerous than we have ever had in the Northeast.

“We would like the military and security agencies to take notice of this before things go out of control.’’

“These bandits take drugs before they commit their crimes; virtually every crime is related to drug abuse. I think we must cut the supply chain to enable us to control the demand,’’ El-Rufai emphasised.

“We are grateful to the Defence Headquarters for enabling the establishment of the Nigeria Defence Academy Demonstration Battalion in Kaduna State.

“I appeal to the Air Force to also have some kind of permanent deployment at the airport to secure it so that flights will resume,’’ he said.