The Kaduna State governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Hon. Isa Ashiru, has blamed the administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai for the worsening insecurity in the state, citing the removal of numerous traditional rulers as a major contributing factor.
Ashiru made the allegation during an interview with Trust TV on Tuesday, arguing that the retrenchment of village and district heads under the previous administration weakened grassroots security structures and created ungoverned spaces across the state.
According to him, the removal of the traditional rulers disrupted the flow of vital security information from communities to the government and security agencies.
“When the APC government came, they retrenched so many village heads and district heads. They left these places ungoverned,” Ashiru said.
He explained that the traditional reporting structure, through which information moved from village heads to district heads, emirs and ultimately the governor and the State Security Council, had been weakened.
El-Rufai’s administration had previously reverted to the 77 districts and 1,429 village units that existed before 2001, effectively removing 313 district heads and 4,453 village heads appointed during the administration of former Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi.
The reform followed the enactment of the Traditional Institutions Law No. 21 of 2021 in June, which replaced the Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Law, Cap. 25 of 1991, and introduced significant changes to the traditional and emirate council system in Kaduna State.
Ashiru said that, if elected governor, his administration would restore the involvement of traditional rulers in grassroots governance and security management to help close the gaps he believes have contributed to rising insecurity.
He also pledged to provide operational vehicles for security agencies and introduce incentives for personnel who risk their lives to protect residents.
The ADC candidate further proposed deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) to strengthen security operations, citing the increasing sophistication of criminal activities.
He described kidnapping and ransom payments as an industry involving millions of naira, stressing the need for technology-driven intelligence gathering and improved security coordination to tackle the problem.
Ashiru expressed optimism that his proposed measures, including the reintegration of traditional rulers, the deployment of AI and improved logistical and financial support for security agencies, would significantly reduce insecurity in Kaduna State, if not bring it to an end.
He maintained that restoring effective grassroots governance and strengthening the operational capacity of security agencies would be central to his administration’s strategy for addressing the state’s security challenges.
