Insecirity: The Ribadu, Sen. Buba Model, By Sani Mahmud
By Sani Mahmud
Once upon a time, the road between Abuja and Kaduna was a highway of fear. It had become a cesspool of kidnappings, ambushes, and other violent crimes. For many travellers, that journey was not just a less than 200 kilometres trip, it was a gamble between falling into the hands of daredevil criminals or losing their lives to their bullets. The reality was even worse in Birnin Gwari, which was completely overrun by bandits.
In those days, to fulfil the grandstanding of the then-governor, Nasir El-Rufai, Nigeria’s security apparatchiks pushed hard to match the bandits bullet for bullet. Boots were on the ground in large numbers. Soldiers and police officers fought with courage. Yes, criminals fell, but so too did many men and women in uniform, paying the supreme price.
The toll on daily life was severe. Farmers became easy prey. Business people turned into prime kidnap targets. The atmosphere in Kaduna was thick with fear.
This was not confined to villages and highways alone, but the trains and airports as well. By the time the Buhari administration was winding down, it was painfully obvious that if Kaduna and indeed every part of Northwest Nigeria was to make any headway in the fight against banditry and other crimes, a new strategy had to be adopted.
Then came President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointment of Nuhu Ribadu—a former police officer and pioneer anti-corruption czar as National Security Adviser. Around the same time, the Senate, in its wisdom, appointed Senator Shehu Buba as chairman of its security committee.
This combination has so far proved to be more than just a change of names on paper. Their visible synergy of thought, the willingness to close ranks, the desire to do things differently, and the resolve to pursue results with vigour is nothing short of inspirational. The outcome, as anyone can now see, is that Kaduna State has grown noticeably quieter in terms of security.
Today, the Abuja–Kaduna road, the trains, the airport, and even the once-dangerous stretch to Birnin Gwari have returned to something close to their pre-El-Rufai days. And when criminality does rear its ugly head as in the recent case when a Blueprint reporter and others were kidnapped, it is met with swift thought and even swifter action, leading to their speedy release.
If this model, anchored more on soft, non-kinetic approaches than brute force, can deliver results in Kaduna, I dare say it can work elsewhere. All it requires is the confidence and resolve to follow through.
The Ribadu–Buba playbook makes smart use of local realities. Recognising that the Northwest is deeply religious, they have integrated clerics into the security framework. The engagement of respected religious leaders such as Sheikh Asadus Sunnah has yielded tangible results. Recent revelation that notorious bandit leader Bello Turji surrendered weapons after meeting with the cleric is proof that progress can be made at the negotiation table.
Let me acknowledge here that we can’t sugar-coat the security situation in the Northwest. But what the moment demands is collective reasoning, not open-ended, baseless criticism devoid of objectivity. Yes, farmers must return to their farms. Yes, children must be spared the trauma and pain of growing up in a climate of violence. But we cannot achieve these goals in an atmosphere poisoned by rancour and divisiveness.
I maintain that if peace can return to Kaduna, the same model can be replicated across the Northwest, especially in Zamfara. Governor Uba Sani has openly stated that he signed a peace deal, and so far, it appears to be working. It is wishful thinking to claim that governments should never negotiate with non-state actors. History tells us otherwise. Every major conflict, including the world wars and even the recent escalation between Israel and Iran has ended at the negotiation table.
Sadly, we in the North sometimes seem quicker to besmirch our own leaders than to offer constructive criticism. Ribadu and Buba have been central to every major security gain in the region. While they are simply doing the jobs they were appointed to do, it is unfair to make their only reward unguarded insults on social media. This attitude betrays the very values we pride ourselves on in Arewa—the values of respect, restraint, and reasoned discourse.
Equally troubling is the tendency of some clerics to turn platforms meant for the propagation of Islam into pulpits for hurling political insults. While I do not expect every cleric to be like Sheikh Asadus Sunnah, it does betray the teachings of Islam to replace guidance with personal attacks.