Masari backtracks, asks FG to declare state of emergency on insecurity

Aminu Masari, governor of Katsina, has asked the federal government to declare a state of emergency on insecurity.

His position comes months after he faulted the call by the house of representatives in April, asking the federal government to declare a state of emergency on insecurity.

Speaking after a meeting with Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff, at the presidential villa on April 29, Masari had said: “how can state of emergency solve the problem? You have a situation where the military are in all the states of the federation, then you ask yourself, how many do we have? Are we not overstretching them?”

But while declaring open the 2021 third quarter general meeting of the conference of state legislators of Nigeria on Saturday, Masari urged the federal government to declare a state of emergency on insecurity.

He also asked the federal government to embrace dialogue as part of efforts to address security challenges.

“In Katsina state, our major problem is the security challenge we are facing in some parts of the state. With the support of the state house of assembly, some legal frameworks were put in place, while the existing ones were restructured in order to address security challenges,” he said.

“Issues of conflicts with different pressure groups could be resolved through dialogue with stakeholders and other relevant groups to avoid the loss of lives and destruction of properties being experienced in almost many parts of the state and the country.

“I wish to call on the federal government to declare emergency on the nation’s security in order to bring an end to loss of lives and properties across the state.

“Security agencies are putting in their best to address the security issues across the country, but more has to be done to curtail the activities of bandits, cattle rustlers, armed separatists and other criminal elements across the country.”