El-Rufai seeks wiping out of communities on Kaduna-Abuja Highway

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai yesterday proposed the clearance of Katari, Rijana and Akilibu communities along the Kaduna-Abuja highway.

He said they harbour criminals and informants.

The governor received the first quarter 2022 security report, which says 360 persons were killed and 1,389 others kidnapped in the state between January and March.

He said there was intelligence that Boko Haram, ISWAP and Ansaru terrorists were recruiting Kaduna youths. The  terrorists, who relocated to Kaduna from the Northeast, reportedly said that ‘Kaduna forests are better than Sambisa’.

El-Rufai expressed worry about the influx oof the group into the state, saying insurgency had shifted from the Northeast to the Northwest.

He decried the high rate of drug abuse in the state, saying it was linked to banditry and must be tackled . Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said 360 persons were killed by terrorists in the first quarter of 2022 in the state.1,389 persons were kidnapped while 3,251 cattle were rustled during the period, 258 persons were injured, adding that 10 rape cases were recorded during the period under review.