Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has praised Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa for bringing relative peace to Southern Kaduna, an achievement he claims eluded former Governor Nasir El-Rufai during his tenure.

Speaking at a press briefing in Kaduna on Sunday, Sani acknowledged significant security improvements under President Bola Tinubu's administration while cautioning that insecurity in Northern Nigeria has not been completely eliminated.

"The insecurity in the North is not yet over. Bandits are still killing people. They are kidnapping people in Katsina State; they are still doing that in Zamfara State. There are major killings on the roads by bandits," Sani stated.

However, the former lawmaker emphasized that the current security situation represents a marked improvement compared to previous years. "If we are going to compare it to where we are coming from, I think things are better," he noted.

Southern Kaduna and Birnin Gwari Improvements

Sani specifically highlighted the Chief of Defence Staff's success in Southern Kaduna, an area he claimed was "neglected and abandoned when (former) Governor Nasir El-Rufai was in power."

The former senator also pointed to significant improvements along the previously dangerous Birnin Gwari Road. "It used to be the road that was inaccessible because of banditry. Banditry happened every hour, not every day, for eight years along Birnin Gwari road. Now, people can travel day and night," he said.

Sani further noted the absence of school attacks since the Kuriga school incident, suggesting this as evidence of improved security measures under the current administration.

Call for Northern Recognition of Progress

In what appeared to be a comparison between the Buhari and Tinubu administrations, Sani urged northerners to acknowledge security improvements under the current government.

"For those of us, when you compare the government headed by someone who came from our part of the country and the government headed by someone who is not from our part of the country, I think it is important for those of us from the North to appreciate the relative progress they have made," he concluded.