Sultan: North must Unite against banditry, terrorism

The Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Northern Traditional Rulers Council, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar II, on Wednesday, called on all northern stakeholders to close ranks against the scourge of banditry, terrorism and kidnapping, declaring that security is a collective responsibility.

Speaking during the 19th Northern Traditional And Governors meeting in Kaduna, the Sultan said the region could only overcome insecurity through unity and collaboration among governments, security agencies, traditional institutions and citizens.

“Security is everybody’s responsibility. It’s not just for security agencies alone, or the governors alone, or traditional rulers alone. It’s everybody’s responsibility. We need to really come together and fight this menace of terrorism, abduction and whatever it is to the best of our ability,” he said.

He described the inauguration of the Board of Trustees to drive the North’s security intervention as a significant step towards finding lasting solutions to the region’s security challenges.

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The Sultan said the board made up of respected personalities from across the 19 northern states, would bring a practical approach to addressing insecurity.

“We’ve been talking and talking and talking through various papers. But Today, with the inauguration of this committee, we believe we are ready to really start the job properly.”

He said the traditional institution would give the committee its full backing, assuring members that they could always rely on the support and local knowledge of traditional rulers.

“Reach out to us any time of the day you want to talk to us. We will give you free consultation. We know the people, we know where we live, and we are ready 100 per cent to walk hand in hand with you.”

The Sultan also stressed that the fight against insecurity must transcend religious and ethnic differences, saying unity remained the North’s greatest strength.

“This is a source of unity for us. It comes from all the 19 northern states to serve in one body. We believe once you are united, you will be more focused. Unity is the most important thing.”He recalled that northern traditional rulers had consistently warned against violent extremism, noting that the council had submitted recommendations on tackling insecurity to the Northern Governors’ Forum as far back as 2014.

“We never supported it. As Muslims, we never supported such things. We kicked against it so many years ago. We gave that paper in 2014… Today is the realisation of the day we believe will kick off the real hard work of bringing peace to the North.”

The Sultan urged governors to provide sustained funding for the new security initiative, saying no meaningful intervention could succeed without adequate resources.

“Nothing can be done without funds. You still have a lot to do to support this Board of Trustees.”

He expressed optimism that with unity, commitment and divine support, the region would overcome its security challenges.

“There is nothing impossible when you believe in Almighty Allah. We do the best we can and leave the rest to Him. We have taken our case to Almighty Allah to help us in this journey.”

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