Nasir El-Rufai, the Kaduna State Governor, yesterday called for the establishment of a theatre command to tackle insecurity in the Northwest region including Niger State.

In Kaduna State, 1,192 persons were killed by bandits and other violent attacks across the state in 2021. Also, 3,348 people were kidnapped and 891 others injured within the year, according to the governor.

Bandits have turned the region and the state into killing fields, with villages frequently sacked and houses destroyed almost daily.

Between Sunday and Monday, terrorists killed no fewer than 11 people in Niger communities.

Three soldiers, four vigilantes and four villagers were killed in Mariga and Paikoro local government areas.

El-Rufai stated this while receiving the 2021 annual security report presented by the Kaduna Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan.

The governor said there was now an insurgency in the six Northwest states and environs.

Citing the report, he said 1,192 persons were killed by bandits and other violent attacks across the state in 2021.

The report adds that 3,348 people were kidnapped and 891 others injured within the year.

El-Rufai believes the situation requires a dedicated theatre command as it is in the Northeast.

He said: “The Kaduna State Government appeals to the Federal Government to create a Theatre Command similar to the situation in the Northeast to confront the insurgency that has emerged in five states of the Northwest and Niger State with continuous and contiguous forest ranges.

“The creation of such a Theatre Command will enable a holistic approach to counter-insurgent operations across the six affected states and the enhanced coordination of the resources of the Armed Forces, the Police, the SSS (State Security Services), our respective state vigilance services, hunters and other local volunteers to fight the insurgents.”

The governor said at least nine persons were kidnapped daily last year across Kaduna, especially in Kaduna Central.

“There is also an escalation in the number of persons killed by a whopping 255 compared to those sadly killed by banditry and criminality in 2020 in spite of our best efforts in supporting the Federal security agencies to bring an end to this phenomenon.

”As we digest these sad statistics, we pray for the repose of the souls of those killed, pay tribute to the victims of various crimes, reiterate our solidarity with them, and reaffirm our resolve to continue to protect our people, and stop the criminals.

“The victims of these outlaws cut across our state, though we note the persistence of certain narratives that try to coat sheer criminality in ethnoreligious or regional hues, depending on the identity of the victims,” El-Rufai said.

The governor said there must be an urgent national effort to strengthen the security forces.