TheCable

President Muhammadu Buhari has reassured Kaduna residents that the Nigerian army will crush insurgents and criminal gangs operating in the state and other parts of the country.

According to a statement by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesperson, Buhari spoke at a state banquet to commemorate his official visit to the state on Friday.

The president commended the Kaduna state government for supporting security agencies, noting the establishment of a ministry dedicated to internal security.

“I wish to assure the people and government of Kaduna State that the Federal Government is doing its utmost to contain and crush the terrorists that have been menacing our citizens and their property in parts of the country,” Buhari was quoted as saying.

“On behalf of the Federal Government, I commend the efforts of the Kaduna State Government to respond to the demands of development.

“The relationship between our tiers of government represents an instance of successful collaboration between the national and state governments for progress, peace and prosperity.

“I urge Malam Nasir El-Rufai to push on and not relent in his efforts to accelerate change and progress in Kaduna State.”

While reviewing his programme in the state since he arrived on Wednesday, the president said he was delighted to have inaugurated projects undertaken by the state government.

“I have been most impressed by the consistent efforts of the Kaduna State Government to develop the state, to seek progress on so many fronts, and boldly confront challenges,” Buhari said.

“Most of my visits to Kaduna State since 2015 have been in connection with clear strides of progress.

“I was here in 2017 to commission the hatchery and feed mill project of Olam, a multinational agribusiness company that has sited a major factory in Kaduna.

“In August 2019, I had the honour to commission Phase 2 of the Zaria Water Project and a road project.

“State Governments have direct responsibility for the quality of life of the residents of their state. Kaduna State is providing an example of how this can be done.”

In his remarks, el-Rufai called for further military action to stop the activities of insurgents in the state.

“We have spent considerable sums to support federal security agencies in the state in order to promote the safety and wellbeing of our people,” el-Rufai said.

“We are implementing a safe city project, created a vigilance service to provide community-level security services and established a ministry of internal security and home affairs to improve coordination among security agencies and intelligence sharing.

“We believe that further military action and more boots on the ground are needed to stop the terrorists that menace our people.”