Governor Uba Sani has vowed that his government will crack down on anyone exploiting insecurity for political gain in Kaduna State, declaring that such "conflict profiteers" will face legal consequences. Speaking against attempts to politicise the state's security challenges, Sani said the constitution obliges him to safeguard lives and property and promised to fulfil that duty "firmly and decisively."
The governor's warning follows rising tensions linked to recent violent incidents, though he did not name specific individuals or groups. By framing critics as merchants of instability, Sani signalled that opposition narratives blaming his administration for lapses will be treated as threats to public order rather than legitimate debate.
Kaduna has endured recurring attacks by bandits and kidnappers, with rural communities bearing the heaviest toll. Sani's statement appears aimed at pre-empting blame campaigns as the 2027 electoral cycle approaches, a period when security failures typically become partisan ammunition in the state.
Uba Sani's choice of words—"conflict profiteers"—betrays more anxiety about his political image than about the bandits still raiding villages across Kaduna. By criminalising the act of criticising his handling of insecurity, he has essentially turned failure into a protected government narrative.
The governor's logic is revealing: if you highlight that farmers in Igabi or Chikun can no longer reach their fields, you are not a concerned citizen but a merchant of chaos. In a state where ransom payments have become a parallel economy, the only profiteers most families meet are the gunmen on motorcycles, not opposition bloggers. Yet the conversation is being shifted from why kidnapping routes remain open to why discussing them is treasonous.
For rural voters who have buried relatives after weekend attacks, the implication is stark—either praise the administration's "firm" response or risk being labelled an enemy of peace. Public pressure for better intelligence, swifter military deployments or even simple patrols on the Kaduna-Abuja expressway is now a potential criminal act.
This fits a wider pattern in which governors facing security criticism resort to semantics instead of strategy. When the body count rises, the playbook is to shoot the messenger, label critics merchants of instability and hope the headlines shift before the next election.
