President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a powerful delegation to
two states, Adamawa and Borno States to condole with their governments and
people over the increased bombing activities by Boko Haram terrorists.
The delegation made a strong appeal to local populations to
share in the responsibility for security in their surroundings, the presidency
said in a statement.
“The President, who spoke through the leader of the
delegation, Engineer Babachir David Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of
the Federation,SGF directed all communities in the country to revert to old
practices by which new arrivals in their neighbourhoods were taken note of by
local chiefs and security agencies,” Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant
to the president on media and publicity said in a statement Sunday.
Mr. Shehu added, “Going down the memory lane, the President
recalled that these were practices that worked well in past in securing
neighbourhoods and local communities.” The ward head, the village head and the
local police knew every new entrant into the community. They kept tabs on them
and detected traits of criminality before evil-doers get the chance to act
against common interest.
“We must go back to those rudimentary acts of local
policing,” the President reiterated, adding that the job of securing our life
and property is too important to be left to security officials alone.
“We must help them to do their job.The responsibility of
detecting criminals lies with all of us. In this new phase of the war, all of
us are generals, all of us are foot soldiers, all of us are intelligence
officers.”
“In commiserating with families who lost dear ones and the
inpatients in the hospitals visited by the delegation on his behalf, President
Buhari assured of the full support of the government and the determination of
his administration to end the menace of the Boko Haram terrorists by the year’s
end.
“In his message at hospitals, emirs’ palaces and Government
Houses in the two states as read by the SGF, the President said that “the
security situation in the North East remains a great source of concern for me.
Although there are clear indications that the military is recording great
successes in the theatre of operations, the enemy has been able to carry out
his murderous campaign by attacking soft targets using Improvised Explosive
Devices.
“His intention is to create widespread fear amongst the
civilian population since he cannot subdue our armed forces. The sporadic
tactics used by these criminals is a sign that they are under intense pressure
in the forests and in the countryside where they previously enjoyed a lot of
freedom of action.
“The sheer tenacity displayed by our troops in the last
three months has resulted in degrading the capacity of the enemy significantly.
I am confident that the ability of the enemy to attack and seize towns and
villages has been virtually neutralized.
“Having said that, our people cannot continue to be the
victims of a senseless war, living in perpetual fear and denied the right to
pursue their legitimate undertakings in peace. As a leader, I want to assure
our citizens in every part of Nigeria that the government is doing everything
humanly possible to bring to a swift end, the suffering and losses occasioned
by this insurgency. I deeply sympathize with the families who have lost loved
ones.
“As I said a few times in the past, desperate actions such
as the detonation of IEDs will take a longer time to eradicate even as our
optimism continues to grow that Boko Haram as a fighting force will be crushed
by the year’s end. After that, we hope all displaced communities will be
returned to their towns and villages. But even when this is about to happen,
there will still remain vital tests and challenges. We must work hard to
eradicate all forms of extremism.
“Citizens must join hands with security forces in the effort
to detect unrepentant terrorists embedded in our neighbourhoods. We must all be
watchful over any suspicious activity and report same to law enforcement agents
for their prompt action.”
The presidential spokesperson listed members of the
government delegation that accompanied the SGF to include the Secretary of the
APC, Mala Mai Buni; a member of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Tahir
Munguno; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity,
Garba Shehu; a Permanent Secretary in the office of the SGF, Bukar Maina; a
leading figure in the APC, Modi Aliyu Mahmood.
Governors of Adamawa and Borno, Jibrilla Bindow and Kashim
Shettima who received the delegation, according to Mr. Shehu, thanked President
Buhari for sending the delegation as well as for his dogged efforts to end Boko
Haram terrorism and securing the country.
Mr. Shehu quoted Governor Shettima as commending the
President.
He said “before he assumed the leadership of the country,
the state was in a very, very sorry state. The Boko Haram terrorists had 20
councils under them. Now, all but three have been liberated. Of the over three
million citizens in IDP camps, 85% of them are in Borno State.
“We were left to cater for the IDPs. Now we have NEMA taking
care of the camps. We thank the President for the delegation. We are not used
to this. We were left to our own fate for four years under the previous
administration.
“We are absolutely settled that the President is behind us.
We are absolutely settled in the belief he will help us rebuild our
communities. By May 29th next year, every son and daughter of Borno will be
back in their villages. We will continue to ensure community involvement in
securing the environment,” the Governor concluded by way of assurance.”
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