Kwankwaso voices opinion on El-Rufai’s plan to hire foreign mercenaries against terrorists

A former Minister of Defence and National Leader of the newly-formed New Nigeria People’s Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso has voiced his disapproval over the suggestion by the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai regarding the hiring of foreign mercenaries as insecurity escalates in the region.

Kwankwaso spoke on Monday during a live interview on AriseTV monitored by Ripples Nigeria.

El-Rufai, on Friday, had intimated about the engagement of foreign mercenaries in the aftermath of the devastating terrorist attacks on a commuter train on the state.

“Why is it that up till now, the security has not gone to kill them? Where are our soldiers? Why have they not done it? That is why I have come to see Mr President.

“And also I have said that if these actions are not taken, it becomes a must for us as governors to take measures to protect our citizens, even if it means we will import mercenaries from outside the country to do it. If our soldiers fail, I swear to God, we will do that,” El-Rufai said in a press conference.

However, Kwankwaso linked the crisis to the demotivation of the Armed Forces due to various factors which further exacerbated the situation.

“A failure in the system is what leads to suggestions such as hiring of foreign mercenaries to tackle terrorism. We have a capable military who need to be better motivated and equipped with weaponry. We don’t need to hire mercenaries; we must look to resuscitate and encourage our military. Nobody is talking about the missing persons.

Read also: We are shocked with the level of insecurity in Nigeria —Kwankwaso

“Once the leadership loses the political act, there will be issues with the security and the economy. Our Armed Forces are capable and well-trained; they are being praised all over the world whereby countries request the services of our Military like Liberia, Darfur, Congo et al.

“It is very difficult to see how to retrace the missteps which is the issue of confidence in the Armes Forces and the locals don’t divulge information due to revenge by these terrorists.

“No matter how powerful they are, if there is no confidence, the war on terrorism cannot be won. The system has to be revamped regarding training and procurement of arms which is why many of us are surprised the country is in this situation,” the former Kano State governor noted.

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