Service and Intelligence chiefs in the country have assured President Muhammadu Buhari that there were more efforts being made to tackle insecurity in the country.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after a security meeting with the president on Tuesday.
The IGP said the security meeting was for service and intelligence chiefs to brief the president on the security situation of the country.
He said the president observed that the foremost constitutional responsibility of government to the country was the provision of security.
“Yes, we had a brief security meeting, service chiefs and the intelligence chiefs have been able to brief the president on the security situation of the country.
“The president has also observed that the constitutional responsibility of government is the provision of security, is one and is foremost and he is ready to provide such. He said we should reinvigorate our efforts, which are yielding results in the northeast, southeast, but there is more to be done in the northcentral, northwest, where people are worried that school children and students being abducted, selective abductions and killings are done. This narrative must change.
“We have assured him and promised him that we will make efforts to do more. He has also thanked and praised us for what has been done so far, that we should improve much so that people can go about their lawful businesses within the quickest possible means.”
On situation in Zamfara and neighbouring states, the IGP said the president had been briefed, and was told it was yielding positive results and it was encouraging.
He said a new marching order was handed to the service chiefs to go and reinvigorate efforts and to do more so that the northcentral and Nigeria at large should enjoy better security.
Also briefing State House correspondents, Minister of Defence, Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd.) said the meeting was called in order to keep the president abreast of the current happening in the northwest and northcentral, in respect of the improvements, problems and any other thing associated with the insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and the rest of it.
“From the meeting, we believe that the spate at which these things are happening in Zamfara State and northcentral is a source of concern to the government and to all agencies that are responsible for the execution of the operations in the Northcentral.
“We discussed the need for urgency in our dealing with the bandits. We believe they’re becoming a nuisance; killing people, they are doing what they like, they make careless statements, they say what they think they should say in order to solicit the kind of audience they want from the society.
“We believe that we have gone a long way in keeping this country together. If one looks back, prior to our coming, 2014, you’ll find that there’s a lot of improvement, but people are not seeing it anymore. They believe probably we are incapable or there is something which we don’t know, but we are trying to find out why people are not appreciating the efforts of government.
“We have appraised our position, we’ve found that we are capable, we can do this thing, but we need the cooperation of every Nigerian in order to ensure a free society. Security, as far as this country is concerned, is the paramount thing in this country. Without security, nothing will happen and the Commander in Chief has emphasised this today that without security, nothing can go.
“So, he has directed us to find ways, tactics and style with which we can get out of this and we assured him that we’ll do our best to ensure the mission is successful and we’ll do all we can to ensure the completion of this mission, especially when equipment and other things are available to support the course of our tactical manoeuvres and that we’ll do very well from now,” he said.
On using the new Super Tucano jets, the minister said: “We are just testing them, six are still coming by the end of the month maybe next week. So, when the twelve of them are here, I think the Chief of Air Staff will brief you on the operations that they are to undertake as soon as possible,”.
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