Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State has said that fighting kidnappings, banditry and other security challenges in Nigeria was not the responsibility of the Federal Government alone.
Mohammed told newsmen in Bauchi: ”It is the responsibility of the federal, state and the local governments, including all the traditional institutions in the country.
”These problems can only with tackled with concerted efforts and collaboration from the federal, state and local governments.
”As a nation, we are challenged by so many aspects of misdemeanours, crime and criminality. We must be very courageous to say it and that is not something that is acceptable within the tenet of Islam.
”It is not just a federal government’s responsibility. It’s a responsibility of the federal government, the state and the local governments as well as our traditional institutions and all the stakeholders.
“We are all policemen today. We know these bandits, we know where they stay and what they do.
“Sometimes, they are aided and abetted by some of us and we should fish them out, because the police in their numbers are already overwhelmed.
“I’m calling on the federal government to work with us as governors and local governments, because that’s where the solution is.
“I hope we sit down as a country to reflect and make sure we bring solutions,” Mohammed said.
Mohammed, who observed that Nigeria was united and interwoven, said that a round-table understanding would be achieved.
He explained that the state government was trying to build its own micro-economy in order to generate more Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and make the state’s development more pronounced.
