TheCable

Barnabas Bantex, Kaduna state deputy governor, on Tuesday expressed concern that the state government was spending huge sums of money on security instead of providing infrastructure and sustainable livelihood for the people.

Bantex said this at a town hall meeting which the Nigerian army held in the Kafanchan area of the state.

According to NAN, the meeting, sponsored by the department of civil-military affairs, was about the southern Kaduna crisis.

Bantex said the state government was however committed to providing job opportunities for youth as panacea to the recurring civil unrest.

He advised all communities to live in peace and learn to address any security breach with civility.

He added that no individual or community had the monopoly of violence, hence the need to resist the temptation to perpetrate evil.

Tukur Buratai, the chief of army staff, represented by Adeneyi Oyebade, the commanding officer, 1 division, Nigerian army, said the ongoing special operation tagged `Harbin Kunama II,’ was to engage the people in securing the area.

He said that the residents must resolve to live in peace and harmony to stem unwarranted loss of lives and property going on in the area for years.

The army chief  also emphasised the need for dialogue as the most civilised approach to conflict resolution.

Buratai assured the people that the military would continue to discharge its mandate of securing lives and property of all citizens.

He expressed hope that the residents would resolve to end the cycle of violence in the area by embracing dialogue and mutual respect for one another.