We Will Train, Equip Forests Squad With Modern Tech To Tackle Banditry – Ganduje

The national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje has stated that the administration of President Bola Tinubu will soon train and equip Forests Rapid Response Squad with modern technology to tackle banditry and kidnapping.

The former governor of Kano state said the Forest Rapid Response Squad who will be trained, equiped and provided with technology, will be stationed within the forest to retake the forest from bandits, kidnappers and other criminals using the forest for their nefarious acts.

“We must train Forest Rapid Respond Squad that are stationed within the forests, with their houses and infrastructural facilities within the forests. We must train them, equip them and provide technology in our forests, so that we can take over completely. If we succeed in doing that, then the issue of banditry, kidnapping and armed robbery, will be eventually resolved.

“Enough is enough for the large scale insecurity in some part of the country including our own geopolitical zone. We must all work together to ensure the security of lives and property of our people. This is the cardinal objective of any government in power.

“If we work together as a team to ensure the security of lives and property in our geographical zone, the democratic dividends and economic viability will be the order of the day. In order to achieve this, we must think out of the box.”

Addressing the inaugural APC Northwest Stakeholders Meeting on Sunday at Murtala Square Kaduna, Ganduje said “we are all aware of the crisis between farmers and elders, which graduated into cattle rustling, which graduated into kidnapping, which graduated into banditry.

“We are all aware that our forest in Nigeria and all over the world were meant to balance the ecosystem. But what is happening to our forest now? Our forest are only forests to us, but they are cities to bandits. So, we must find out a practical solution to these problems. We must protect our forests.”

The APC national chairman lauded President Bola Tinubu for his political sagacity in handling the myriad of challenges facing the country, and called for support from stakeholders in the northwest to assist president in leading the country out of the security and economic challenges facing it to prosperity.

“This is the first time a thoroughbred democrat and politician is leading our country as President. So, we have no excuse to fail.

“President Bola Tinubu has not left anyone in doubt about his genuine commitment to turn fortunes of our nation around for the betterment of all of us. There is an urgent need for our party stakeholders to engage in massive sensitization of Nigerians on the giant strides of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to facilitating a Nigeria that truly works for all classes of Nigerians.

“The president has clearly shown us that politics must not always divide us or cause bad blood. The President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu from what we have seen has stuck to the path of rebuilding Nigeria.

“I decided to dwell in this since the President is the leader of our party. The President has gone ahead to appoint some opposition personalities into key ministries and offices, which is a key example of politics without bitterness. We must commend him for this.

“We need peace and unity if we must achieve success in all our endeavors. No seed of progress can grow where there is crisis. We need to work as a team. If we work as a team, we will be able to attract the best to our domain, that is the Northwest zone. A house divided against itself cannot stand the test of time.

“Politics is about superior negotiating skills, not pull him down stunt; those who resulted to that in the past have had themselves to blame. The politics of rising men and women is what actually brought Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to the Presidency and that is a lesson we all must imbibe.

“If we come to support ourselves, rally round the President, build our party and develop our geopolitical zone to enviable height economically and politically, together we will reap the fruit of our labour.

“We must salvage Nigeria and make it a land of prosperity for all of us and our children. We must stand against the words of bitterness and rancour. It must be a new dawn for our geopolitical zone.

“This times we are calling for close consultation and collaboration and the common objective is to work for unity, stability and progress of Nigeria and our party, to make it formidable like the rock of Gibraltar,” Ganduje said.

Also speaking at the meeting, speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen urged the APC national chairman to constitute reconciliation committees that would unite the members of the party nationwide.

Abbas noted that some members of the APC were aggrieved, which was why there was the need to reconcile and make peace with them to bring more successes to the APC as one big political family.

The speaker, who commended President Bola Tinubu for giving key political positions to the Northwest, urged the zone to reciprocate the gesture by redoubling its efforts in ensuring success for the President come 2027.

He also urged APC leadership to use their position in addressing the high turnover rate of members of the National Assembly, saying APC members that performed well should be given the opportunity to return in 2027.