Aregbesola: To tackle insecurity, we need to bring back morality

Rauf Aregbesola, minister of interior, says to maintain the country’s security, lost social values need to be brought back.

Speaking at a town-hall meeting in Katsina state on Tuesday, Aregbesola said the “moral fabric” of the country has been destroyed by military rule and “irresponsible” governments.

He said inequality in society motivates hoodlums to engage in crime.

“In dealing with insecurity, we need to get to the root of it. It cannot just be the strong arm, physical approach only – we must get to the root of it. In the many years, since independence; usually the military rule and irresponsible Nigerian governments, the moral fabric of our country and our society has been destroyed and we therefore, lost our moral compass,” the minister said.

“Added to that, is the inequality that somehow motivate the criminals to want to even want to do this and have some joy in doing it.

“Therefore, the first step towards maintaining our security is to bring morality back and that brings to mind the role of our traditional rulers, religious leaders and all of us.

“We must bring morality back. The value of honesty, integrity and sanctity of the human life must be brought back strongly in accordance.”

Also speaking at the event, Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto, said his state has passed a revised penal code aimed at tackling crime in the state.

“We have been working with the security agencies in Kaduna state in the area of provision of vehicles to some extent, funding, although our resources are very lean,” Tambuwal said.

“Even, yesterday we held a similar town-hall meeting under his eminence the sultan of Sokoto, where convened this kind of meeting between the people and government of Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara. Like you head from our leader, governor Masari, we have been to Niger Republic.

“As governors in northern Nigeria, we met last two years in Kaduna and agreed to review the penal code because whatever you are doing you have to be looking at the legal framework. We came up with a revised penal code system for all of our states. Sokoto is one of those states that have passed the law.”