Bandits: We Shut Markets Not To Punish People — El-Rufai

Weekly market closures in Kaduna, according to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, are not intended to cause hardship to locals, but rather to safeguard the public from bandits.

“We are not imposing hardship on certain people, but they can see the benefits of the actions we have taken. We got good suggestions from stakeholders, which would be used to modify some of our policies. It has been a very rich and engaging conversation,“ Mr El-Rufai explained.

He said this at a meeting with stakeholders on insecurity held at Kaduna’s Murtala Square over the weekend.

The meeting, according to the governor of Kaduna, was held to update stakeholders on security concerns, stressing that security personnel had been effective due to fewer security breaches.

The governor announced that the closure of some weekly markets and the regulation of motorcyclists’ activity would be extended for another month.

The governor went on to say that some of Kaduna’s urban regeneration projects were nearing completion, and that President Muhammadu Buhari will inaugurate them at the end of the month.

He pledged that he will finish some of the other projects before the conclusion of his term.

Mr El-Rufai expressed his gratitude to the Religious Preaching Regulatory Council for the support it receives from clerics.

He explained that the council was formed to ensure that clerics preach and preach sermons that promote peace.

He informed stakeholders that the federal and state governments had implemented a number of social protection programs to alleviate the hardships that Nigerians were experiencing. He promised to keep introducing new ones until all Kaduna people were covered.

The governor also named new administrators for the Birnin Gwari and Jaba local government councils during the meeting.

Officials from the state’s security agencies also addressed stakeholders on the efforts and activities being taken to address security concerns.