By Egena Sunday Ode
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the nation’s security chiefs to take out leaders of bandits and kidnappers in order to restore confidence in areas prone to their nefarious activities.
The President also said he would no longer tolerate a situation whereby the criminal elements are the ones dictating the pace and setting the tone instead of the other way round.
Buhari equally frowned at the development where the nation’s security elements are being reactive rather than proactive, charging them to bring down the criminals with all the ruthlessness required.
National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Bahama Monguno, disclosed these Tuesday while briefing newsmen on the outcome of an emergency security meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to the NSA, Buhari also made a commitment to provide everything that the troops would need to enable them pull down these undesirable elements from the society.
He said: “On the issue of kidnapping and banditry, this menace still persists, especially in the Northwest and the North-Central zones. Mr. President has been very emphatic, he has stated very clearly that this problem must be brought to an end, but using the traditional methods that the armed forces have been trained to deploy.
“Mr. President has made it very clear to both the intelligence and operational elements that the first assignment will be to identify the leaders of these bandits, kidnappers and take them out, in order to restore confidence in those areas.
“Mr. President has said that he will no longer tolerate a situation whereby bandits and kidnappers are the ones dictating the pace and setting the tone and he will not also condone a situation in which our own operations are reactive rather than being proactive.
“He has also indicated his willingness to provide all the resources required by our own troops in order to put down these criminals. They must be brought down with all the ruthlessness that is required and whoever is working in collaboration with them will be brought to book.”
Monguno noted that Tuesday’s emergency security meeting was called after the President had met with governors of the Northeast and North central zones as well as the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, Kayode Fayemi.
He said President Buhari expressed satisfaction with the performance of the new service chiefs , saying that there’s now a willingness on the part of all the operational elements to work together with the intelligence organisations.
The NSA also quoted Buhari to have said declared that there would be no adjustment in whatever the National Security Council had already laid out until normalcy is restored, saying that the ban on mining activities in Zamfara will be enforced.
He said President Buhari had directed him to issue a warning to all those who are working to undermine national security, sponsor of criminal activities and the likes that they would have themselves to blame sooner than later.
“I’m also to send out a warning to those people who think they can continue to behave in a manner that undermines national security. Those people engaging in all kinds of underhanded, unscrupulous, mischievous and deceitful practices, people who are working with those that are in government, in particular, critical agencies of government, we have been able to identify certain areas that are weak and these areas have to be strengthened so that these characters who are engaging in acts that you can describe as outright acts of brigandage, people who are behaving in a manner that portends a lot of danger to innocent lives, have to be fished out.
“This is the directive from the President, I am to send a warning to those people who think they’re in close proximity with those who have the instruments to make the space easy for criminals, those people who think they have some kind of authority, who are engaging in all kinds of Hocus Pocus in all kinds of jiggery pokery or skullduggery, those people will be brought down to their knees.
It is extremely important for these people, I’m sending out a message to them, anybody who thinks he can continue to pool whatever resources he has at his disposal, to frustrate the efforts of the central government in bringing about peace and security will have himself to blame.
“The new service chiefs, as well as the intelligence community, and the constabulary forces have been given clear directives by the President to target those people who are the ones leading in creating chaos, disunity, and disharmony,” Monguno said.
