Insecurity
Insecurity: We Will Bring In Foreign Mercenaries Since FG Fails To End Terrorism- El-Rufai
“I have complained to Mr president and I swear to God, if action is not taken, we as governors will take actions to protect the lives of our people.
The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, on Friday has vowed to bring in foreign mercenaries to fight terrorists attacking and killing citizens in Kaduna State since the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari has failed woefully to tackle insecurity in the country.
El-Rufai warned that the state will not pay ransom for kidnapped victims from the attack, even if the terrorists seek that from the government.
He made this known while briefing state house correspondents on Friday, after updating the President on security developments in his state.
“I have complained to Mr president and I swear to God, if action is not taken, we as governors will take actions to protect the lives of our people.
“If it means deploying foreign mercenaries to come and do the work, we will do it to address these challenges.”
The governor revealed that the attack on the train was carried out by Boko Haram terrorists in collaboration with some bandits operating in Kaduna, Zamfara, Sokoto Niger, and Kebbi States.
He said security agencies have been making efforts to rescue victims of the attack, from the hands of their kidnappers.
READ ALSO: Terrorists Kill Two, Kidnap Mother, Four Children In Kaduna Community
El-Rufai who said the president has assured him that action will be taken to bring an end to terrorism in the next few months explained that the best way to tackle terrorism once and for all was for the Nigerian Armed Forces to bomb forest enclaves where terrorists are hibernating.
However, El-Rufai confirmed that the gunmen had contacted the families of their captives but are yet to request a ransom.
He said, “Well, the families of those kidnapped have been contacted while some of the captives themselves have called their loved ones, saying they’re doing well and they’re being taken care of. But the gunmen haven’t shown any sign of collecting ransom.
“These ones aren’t the usual kidnappers but members of Boko who are collaborating with bandits.
“So we were thinking they’ll ask for a huge ransom from the state government, not the families of their victims.
“So far, they’ve asked for ransom from just one of the 5 families that were contacted.
“As far as the Kaduna State government is concerned, we’ve not changed our stand on payment of ransom, so, even if they seek for that from us, we’ll not pay because we are not ready to do so.”