LAGOS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria had taken measures to address security challenges from external and internal attacks, Minister of Defense Mansur Dan-Ali said.
Drug abuse, unemployment and governance are responsible for the deplorable security situation in northern part of Nigeria, the minister said in a statement sent to Xinhua on Saturday, while urging stakeholders to unite and take necessary steps to address the issues.
He said some of the steps taken by the government include the creation of eight Division of the Nigerian Army in Sokoto state in tackling the challenges in the Northwest, particularly in Zamfara and Kaduna.
He said the establishment of a brigade in Gusau, capital of Zamfara and another one to be located in Birnin Kebbi would also assist.
According to him, 500 troops of Nigerian Armed Forces and 500 other security agents were recently deployed to join a military operation dubbed "SHARAN DAJI" to curb the activities of armed bandits and other security challenges in Zamfara and Kaduna states and the region in general.
There have been chronic problem of recurring incidents of livestock rustling and armed banditry in the northwest region of Nigeria.
According to reports of local media, bandits suspected to be cattle rustlers have killed hundreds of people in villages across the state. Several villages have also been razed by the attackers who also kidnap for ransom.
The West African country at the same time suffers the violence of Boko Haram terrorist attacks in the northeast region, although the government declared in 2015 that the insurgents have been "technically defeated."
