El-Rufai: Military has requested telecoms shutdown in some Kaduna LGAs

Nasir El-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, says telecommunication services may be shut down in some LGAs in the state.

This comes a few weeks after the state government had said it has no plan to shut down telecommunication services in the state.

Speaking with some radio stations on Tuesday, the governor said the military had advised that telecommunications service in some LGAs be shut down.

“We have been advised by the military and other security agencies to shut down telecommunication services in certain LGAs but we are waiting for the security agencies to tell us which specific areas and when,” Channels quoted him as saying.

“But I want the people of Kaduna State to know that if they give us the go-ahead tomorrow [Wednesday], we will shut down tomorrow.”

El-Rufai said due to the telecommunications shutdown in Zamfara and Katsina, some bandits crossed over to Kaduna to make calls and demand ransoms.

“There is no doubt that bandits and other criminals rely on telecommunication to communicate with their informants as well as with relatives of kidnapped victims so as to demand ransom,” he said.

The governor said the telecommunications shutdown had already been approved by President Muhammadu Buhari and would be implemented as soon as the security agents give the go-ahead.

“I will not mention the LGAs to be affected but the local governments that are constantly being tormented by bandits know themselves,” he said.

“As soon as we get the nod from security agents, then the people of Kaduna state should know that we will shutdown telecommunication to give security agents the maximum cooperation to carry out operations in those areas.”

El-Rufai said the state government had established a task force that will go round to monitor compliance with some of the security measures adopted by the state to ensure that fuel stations and markets are closed.