Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian Army High Command for approving the establishment of two new military battalions in Alkaleri and Tafawa Balewa.
Governor Mohammed gave the commendation on Wednesday during a State Security Council meeting in Bauchi. He also thanked Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University for allowing the temporary use of its facility in Tafawa Balewa town to accommodate one of the battalions.
The Governor identified illegal mining as a major security concern linked to banditry and criminal syndicates. He directed the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to deal decisively with individuals involved in illegal mining, warning that no one would be spared if found complicit, regardless of status or political connections.
He said his administration would not tolerate activities that undermine the state’s economy and threaten the safety of residents.
“I have said it before, and I emphasise it today: absolutely no individual, regardless of their status, power or family ties to those in government, must be spared if found complicit,” he said.
The Governor urged the Nigerian Army and other security agencies to intensify efforts to tackle illegal mining and dismantle criminal networks operating across the state.
He listed the security threats facing Bauchi to include banditry, kidnapping, cross-border criminal incursions, illegal mining and the spread of misinformation, noting that the threats are increasingly mobile, adaptive and interconnected, requiring coordinated and sustained operations.
Governor Mohammed commended security personnel for what he described as significant operational successes in dismantling criminal networks in Alkaleri, Ningi and Ganjuwa Local Government Areas.
He directed security agencies to intensify ground operations and patrols to replicate the successes recorded in Alkaleri across other vulnerable communities.
He warned traditional rulers, community leaders and local government officials against illegally allocating land, harbouring suspicious individuals or facilitating unlawful access to mining sites, adding that anyone found engaging in such acts would face legal sanctions and possible removal from office.
“We will not allow the greed or negligence of a few to jeopardise the safety of millions,” the governor said.
Mohammed assured residents that his administration would continue to provide logistics, vehicles, communication equipment and other support to security agencies.
He called on residents to support security operations by providing credible and timely information to law enforcement agencies, while shunning rumours and misinformation that could undermine peace.
The Governor said security was a collective responsibility and stressed the need for stronger collaboration between traditional institutions, communities and security agencies to protect lives and property across the state.