Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State on Wednesday said that his administration has put measures to rid the state of bandit and kidnappers.
Sule stated this in an interview with newsmen shortly after a courtesy call on the Vice President Kashim Shettima, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He said that the State Government with the support of the Federal Government established a Military Super Camp in the area that was prone to bandits and kidnappers.
“It took us a while to be able to stabilise the area. The road leading to the area where some of the bandits, kidnappers were actually settled down was very bad. We now constructed a major road in the area.
“The Federal Government also constructed a major road that comes all the way from Benue into Nasarawa State which most of the transporters from the Eastern part of the country are actually using at the moment.
“So, because of that we also established what you called Military Super Camp in the area. So there is presence of military in the area.
“So, all those kind of kidnappers, bandit and so on have all left, we don’t have any as far as those areas are concern.”
Sule stated that Nasarawa was always considered as one of the safest states to do agriculture and other things.
The governor said the state over the past three years, had been leading in so many areas of agriculture.
“Today I’m happy to tell you we are number one in Sesame farming in the whole federation nobody does more than that.
“We are number two in Yam production throughout the country. We are number two in cassava production throughout the country and we are number five in rice production.
“So, if people are not going to farms, we will not be achieving this kind of numbers. These are the realities on ground.
“These are things that you can go and find out on your own. So, as far as we are concerned there are no kidnapping in Nasarawa.
“With the oil drilling I don’t think any of you has ever heard about kidnapping and things like that taking place. I think that is where we are,” he said.
On why he visited the Vice-President, Sule said he came to brief him about the agricultural activities in his state.
“So, I came to visit him for two major issues, we have been doing a lot in the area of Agriculture which he has taken upon himself to ensure that things are going well.
“So, he has been monitoring that himself and from time to time we visit and discuss on the agriculture which is of great importance to him.
“I came also to discuss about the commissioning of the Lithium Factory that we are having on Friday.
“As you know that this Friday we are going to commission a 4,000 Metric Tonnes per day Lithium Processing Factory which he has always been interested in knowing the outcome of what is happening.
“We came to discuss that part of the preparations. In fact we are hoping Mr President himself will come to commission that factory on Friday.”
(NAN)
