By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, on Sunday conducted an on-the-spot assessment of security operations in Kano State, visiting four troops’ camps across the Gwarzo, Shanono, and Tsanyawa Local Government Areas, following recent bandits’ incursions into communities in the Kano North Senatorial District.
The visit followed the deployment of a joint security task force, comprising personnel of the Nigerian Army, Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to halt cross-border attacks by armed groups from neighbouring states.
A statement by his Media Aide, Ismail Mudashir, said Barau arrived in Kano and proceeded straight to Lakwaya ward in Gwarzo LGA, where he met security operatives and inspected a parade led by the Joint Task Force Commander, Lt. Abdullahi Sadiq.
He was accompanied by the Garrison Commander, 3 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Kano, Lt. Col. I. Ekoh, and other senior security officials.
Commending the operatives for their sacrifices, the Deputy Senate President thanked President Tinubu for what he described as swift intervention, noting that the President’s directive to security chiefs ensured rapid deployment, now restoring calm to affected communities.
Barau urged the troops to sustain the momentum and decisively flush out criminal elements threatening peace, while also calling on residents to cooperate fully with security agencies, stressing that community support was critical to the success of ongoing operations.
He later visited additional camps in Tsaure and Faruruwa wards of Shanono LGA and in Tsanyawa LGA, where he similarly engaged and encouraged personnel. In Faruruwa, community leaders expressed appreciation for the security deployment and other federal interventions.
In response to local requests, Barau announced plans to build a dam to support the community.
He said the visit was aimed at reassuring residents, engaging security personnel directly, and reinforcing efforts to restore peace across Kano North permanently.
Meanwhile, former Senate Leader and Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, has commended the Federal Government and Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, for the successful relocation and resettlement of Nigerians displaced by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) insurgents who had lived in exile in Cameroon for over a decade.
Ndume described the ongoing repatriation as a significant milestone in rebuilding communities devastated by insurgency, particularly Gwoza Local Government Area, from where many of the returnees fled.
Investigations revealed that the resettlement was carried out under a tripartite agreement among the Federal Government, the Borno State Government, and the Government of Cameroon, with the support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The agreement, signed in Yaoundé in 2017, provides a framework for the safe, dignified and voluntary return of Nigerian refugees from the Minawao camp and other locations in Cameroon.
The pact was executed during the tenure of the then Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau, who led a high-level Nigerian delegation that included the then Governor of Borno State and current Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima.
In a statement issued at the weekend in Abuja, Ndume applauded the Tinubu administration and the Borno State Government for sustaining collaboration with the UNHCR to fast-track the return of displaced persons.
“I commend the Federal Government for the tripartite agreement with the Borno State Government, the Government of Cameroon and the UNHCR, which has ensured the repatriation and resettlement of Nigerian refugees from Minawao back to Gwoza Local Government,” he said.
Ndume also praised the resettlement of Wala village in Gwoza and lauded Governor Zulum for fulfilling his pledge to restore electricity to the area after more than a decade of blackout caused by insurgents’ destruction of power infrastructure.
“The effort to restore electricity in Gwoza is highly commendable. The governor made this promise during the installation of the Emir of Bama, and he has kept his word,” Ndume added.
