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From Shafa’atu Suleiman, Sokoto
The Special Adviser to the Sokoto State Governor on Security Matters, Col Ahmed Usman (retd), has welcomed the commencement of the Rapid Response 3 Crisis Response Exercise by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), describing it as a timely initiative that would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to respond to complex security emergencies.
Usman said the decision to test the country’s crisis management architecture through a multi-agency exercise was particularly important at a time when different parts of the country were facing evolving security threats.
He expressed interest in having a similar exercise conducted in Sokoto State, saying such an exercise would provide an opportunity to test and strengthen coordination among security agencies, emergency responders, state authorities and other relevant stakeholders in dealing with banditry and other security challenges.
According to him, Sokoto has continued to face serious security concerns in some parts of the state, making it important to continuously assess existing response mechanisms and identify areas requiring improvement.
“We welcome this initiative by the Office of the National Security Adviser. It is a very important exercise because security threats are dynamic, and our response mechanisms must also be tested regularly to ensure that they are effective.
“We would be very interested in seeing a similar exercise conducted in Sokoto. Our state has been affected by banditry, particularly in some communities, and such an exercise would help us assess our preparedness, coordination, communication and response capabilities.
“It would also bring together the different security and emergency response agencies to operate under a common command structure and test how quickly they can respond to a major crisis.”
The Special Adviser said the Sokoto State Government remained committed to working with the Federal Government and security agencies to improve the protection of lives and property.
He added that a crisis-response simulation in the state would not only benefit Sokoto but could also generate useful lessons for addressing similar security threats across the wider North-West region.
“We believe that exercises of this nature should be taken to areas experiencing different forms of security challenges. Sokoto would be willing to provide the necessary support and cooperation if the ONSA considers conducting such an exercise in the state,” he said.
Usman stressed that the objective should be to strengthen preparedness and save lives rather than to wait for a major crisis before testing the effectiveness of the response system.
