Idris4Peace

  Let me start with calling attention to my dear   state governor   of Katsina, Aminu Masari, in his recent speech to locals to defend themselves against the deadly and heavily armed groups operating all over the state. Masari said, “Why should I seat in my village making calls to security forces without doing nothing, it’s ridiculous that people are not defending themselves against armed bandits”. Does that mean Masari was saying federal and state governments threw away their primary responsibility of protecting life and property of citizens and other persons residing in their domains? How can an armless and vulnerable villager confront an armed criminal with sophisticated weapons like Anti-aircraft or Ak-47? With my little knowledge of security and governance, I know one of the responsibilities of any democratically elected government is to ensure the management of the security sector in line with democratic best practices and provision of security as public good. To pe...

The first time I heard the issue of paying ransom in Northern Nigeria was in 2018 when twin sisters were abducted by an armed group in Dauran village of Zamfara state. Their abductors demanded N150 million ransom, their demand generated concern in most of the  communities  of the state and some neighbouring states especially in the mosques where imams were requesting the congregations to contribute money for their release. They were later freed after the payment of N15 million. The above narration is one of the many stories of the agony and trauma people are facing in paying ransom, their frequent demand of ransoms pushed many people into bankruptcy, poverty and  destruction  of businesses in cities and rural  communities . Apart from an excessive levy they enforce on many farmers in local  communities  of Katsina, Zamfara, Niger and Sokoto states, one must pay a huge amount of money for him to have access to his farmland. I recall my engagement with s...