Francis Nansak, Lafia
Politicians and political appointees have been urged to be cautious, following the kidnapping of Honorable Yakubu Lawal Addah, the Nasarswa state information commissioner.
The State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, warned that his administration will take stringent actions against perpetrators of crime and criminality in the state, stressing that government will beef up security around Nasarawa Eggon.
This is just as Engineer Sule urged political appointees and other top government functionaries to be a little more cautious while going about their responsibilities.
The Governor made this known while chairing the quarterly meeting of the Nasarawa Enabling Business Environment Council, at the Government House, on Tuesday.
Reacting over the incident involving the state Commissioner of Information, Mallam Yakubu Lawal, who was kidnapped last night in his residence at Nasarawa Eggon by unknown gunmen, Sule said efforts are in top gear to draft additional security to Nasarawa Eggon to safeguard the lives of citizens.
He further urged top government officials in the state to ensure they have adequate security protection, adding that, the state Commissioner of Police, Adesina Soyemi, has expressed readiness to provide protection to government officials.
The Governor decried the spate of kidnapping in Nasarawa Eggon, saying three kidnappings within a short period, is unfortunate but that government is determined to handle the situation.
“I urge you, first and foremost, to be cautious and secondly, seek for protection also from your own end.
“I have no idea that some of our commissioners don’t have police attached to them until today. While other commissioners are having three or four policemen because of the situation they find themselves, other commissioners don’t even want it. This is a very wrong approach.
“We should seek police protection. The CP is more than happy to support you,” he stated.
Sule assured however that, his administration will address the spate of kidnappings in Nasarawa Eggon.
“In a week, we now have three incidents. For that reason, we can’t fold our arms. We have to be able to take a stronger position. I urge you as members of the executive, especially top government functionaries, to do the best you can, to be more cautious. It’s unfortunate that a commissioner will be driving alone in the middle of the night,” he said.
Speaking on the essence of the meeting, the Governor said, since Nasarawa State has continued to attract more and more investment, there’s need for the council to continue to take all seriousness as it affects efficiency of attracting business into the state.
Earlier, in an opening remarks, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nasarawa Investment Development Agency (NASIDA), Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the Nasarawa Enabling Business Environment Council is the apex body for discussing the bottlenecks and barriers to bring business into the state.
Abdullahi emphasized that the council has in the past years, ushered in new reforms in the state business environment which has put the state as a top destination for doing business in Nigeria.