Immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has slammed former President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to tackle terrorism and banditry effectively in Nigeria.
Malam el-Rufai said the former president’s government ignored his advice on how to deal with the security challenges in 2017.
The former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) spoke at the swearing-in ceremony of his successor, Senator Uba Sani, in Kaduna.
el-Rufai regretted that the Buhari government did not take decisive action against banditry and terrorism until it was too late.
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He said, “In 2017, I asked the Federal Government to declare the emerging banditry as an insurgency and to use the full force of the military against them. Unfortunately, this was not done until 2022, after the Federal High Court declared them as terrorists.
“It is sad that the Federal Government did not realise the seriousness of the problem until banditry had caused so much damage to lives, liberty, and livelihoods of many Nigerians.
“Although the military operation began later in 2022, the job is still not finished.”
In the past two years, the North has witnessed severe attacks by bandits and terrorists that have killed many people.
Several states in the North have suffered from insecurity, but the military has been trying to restore peace and stability.