Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has pushed back against calls for heavy-handed military action against banditry, insisting that weapons alone will not bring lasting peace to the troubled North-west.
The governor’s remarks came on Saturday during the public presentation of a translated book by the late Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi.
In what appeared to be a direct response to his predecessor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who recently urged the use of maximum force, Sani argued that the crisis required more than bullets and boots on the ground.
“We cannot end this nightmare simply by firing more guns,” Sani said.
“Those who suggest that violence alone can restore order are offering politics, not solutions.”
He explained that unlike Boko Haram’s insurgency, which is rooted in extremist ideology, the wave of banditry crippling rural communities in the North-west has its roots in economic despair.
Poverty, youth unemployment, and years of neglect of remote areas, he said, have created a fertile ground for criminal networks to thrive.
Sani pointed to Kaduna’s “Peace Model”, a framework that brings together traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community representatives, as an example of how local engagement could weaken the hold of armed groups.
“This fight is not about pointing fingers at Abuja,” he added.
“Leaders are elected to safeguard their people, and we must take responsibility instead of blaming President Tinubu or National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.”
The Kaduna governor’s comments highlight a growing debate among political leaders over how to confront worsening insecurity in the North-west, where thousands have been displaced by relentless attacks.
While some have called for decisive military offensives, others, like Sani, argue that addressing deep-seated social and economic grievances must go hand-in-hand with security operations.