Dikko Radda, the Governor of Katsina State and Chairman of the North West Governors Forum, has emphasized the importance of using community intelligence in the fight against banditry in the North West area.
Gov. Radda, speaking to the audience at the North West Peace and Security Summit, organised by the NorthWest Governors Forum on Monday at the government house in Katsina, stated that community intelligence is one of the most effective communication strategies for ensuring timely response to security threats in the region.
He stated, “Banditry has put a shadow over our community. It has disturbed lives, stifled economic activity, and induced dread in the populace. We cannot let this menace define our region. “As leaders, we must take a multipronged approach that combines strong intelligence gathering, community policing, and the deployment of modern security technologies.
“Furthermore, we must maximize the capacity of our national security services by continuously improving their resources.
Additionally, we need to make use of the capabilities of our national security agencies by consistently enhancing our resources.
“However, dealing with insecurity is not entirely the job of our security forces. We must work with local communities, traditional authorities, and religious leaders to build a culture of collaboration and trust.
“Community engagement is crucial in gathering actionable intelligence and resilience against criminal activities” .
He stated that instability is always a concern and urged everyone to defend the region. He stated that in order to boost socioeconomic growth, the governors are also striving to improve agriculture and power supplies in the region.
The meeting is titled ‘Regional Cooperation for Securing Lives and Livelihoods’.
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