Governor Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai said Thursday that the Kaduna state government has spent about N21 billion on logistics support to security agencies operating in the state in the last seven years.
The governor said this in Abuja while briefing State House correspondents at the weekly briefing being organised by the Presidential Communications Team.
He said the amount was spent to compliment the efforts of armed forces and other security agencies and proffer solution to the security challenges in the state.
“In recurrence, security to federal security agencies and our own vigilance services and so on, we have spent close to N21 billion and we are talking of seven years,” he said.
He said the state government has spent N10 billion on purchases of technological gadgets and communication equipment to boost the fight against criminals in the state.
“In terms of capital investments, drones, safe city, radio frequency, GSM tracker, we bought our own. We don’t rely on the office of the National Security Adviser or Directorate of Security Services for that, we have ours. The forensic lab, by the time we will be done, it will be another N10-12 billion.
“We are not talking about reimbursement but it is worth it if we are able to achieve full security in our state. We will continue to invest in it; we don’t count the cost of security we just want to achieve full human security, that is what bothers us,” he said.
Speaking further on the security situation in the state and the non-kinetic measure being taken to address the problem, the governor said his administration had since established the Kaduna Peace Commission, formed a farmer-herders reconciliation committee at all local governments of the state among others.
“Some of the security challenges that have endured in Kaduna have to do with ethnic and religious intolerance. Banditry is a new phenomenon. The one that Kaduna has been famous for is ethno-religious crisis.
“We have managed to contain that to a large extent and now the ethnic enclaves particularly in Kaduna and people now Muslims and Christians live together now because everyone feels safe. It will take a long time but I think we are moving in the right direction. People need to know that every Nigerian has the right to live anywhere that he chooses in the country so long as he is law-abiding and there is beauty in diversity,” he said.
He said that despite the security challenges, the state government has been able to deliver democratic dividends to its citizens include human capital development, provision of free primary and secondary education, health sector reforms, social development, job creation and infrastructure development.
