Kaduna State government has announced plans to shut down telecommunication services as part of the strategy in the ongoing fight against bandits in North-West states.
The state governor, Nasir El-Rufai disclosed this during a chat with some radio stations. He said the shutdown would not cover the entire state.
According to him, only the local government areas bordering the troubled Zamfara and Katsina States where military onslaught is ongoing will be affected.
He said: “We have been advised by the Military and other security agencies to shut down telecommunication services in certain LGAs but we are waiting for the security agencies to tell us which specific areas and when.
“But I want the people of Kaduna State to know that if they give us the go-ahead tomorrow [Wednesday], we will shut down tomorrow.”
Daily Trust reported that the Kaduna state Governor who spoke in Hausa during the chat, said following the shutdown of telecommunication services in Zamfara and Katsina, some bandits crossed over to neighbouring local government areas in Kaduna to make phone calls and demand for ransom.
El-Rufai also disclosed that they have already written to the federal government on the shutdown and now waiting for an approval from President Muhammadu Buhari.
He added:
“There is no doubt that bandits and other criminals rely on telecommunication to communicate with their informants as well as with relatives of kidnapped victims so as to demand ransom.
“I will not mention the LGAs to be affected but the local governments that are constantly being tormented by bandits know themselves.
“As soon as we get the nod from security agents, then the people of Kaduna State should know that we will shutdown telecommunication to give security agents the maximum cooperation to carry out operations in those areas.”
