Kaduna train attack: Rescue all kidnapped victims now, Buhari orders security agencies

 

 

MICHAEL-AZEEZ OGUNSIJI, Abeokuta

 

Worried by the increasing spate of terrorist attacks and kidnapping nationwide, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday issued fresh orders to security chiefs to rescue all persons abducted during the Kaduna train attack and other persons still in captivity across the country.

 

National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno who disclosed this also explained why the  President is usually sad each time he hears that terrorists have killed innocent Nigerians.

 

According to him, such feeling of sadness from the President, was a way of expressing his displeasure over the incessant attacks from terrorists and the need for security agencies to do more to check the situation.

 

Monguno spoke to State House Correspondents  after a meeting of the National Security Council at the Presidential Villa Abuja.

 

Monguno, who briefed alongside the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, and the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi  said the Abuja-Kaduna train attack was the last incident, leading to the deaths of some passengers and scores kidnapped.

 

Monguno noted that the President feels that enough was not being done by the security agencies despite what has been provided.

 

He said that the President alone cannot completely receive the blame for the insecurity in the country since his responsibility is to make strategic decisions which the NSA insisted he has been doing.

 

He said that the surrendering of Boko Haram elements has not engendered the desired result in stemming insurgency in the country.

 

The NSA also said Buhari has also ordered the tightening of the borders to curb insecurity, noting that without the intelligence and support of the local communities it will be difficult to tame the rising insecurity in the country.

 

“Mr President commenced the meeting, in his opening remarks he spoke about his sadness in respect of the recent developments in the country, the recent security challenges we’ve had, in particular, the incident in which several Nigerians lost their lives and many more have been taken into captivity by criminals and bandits.

 

“Mr. President has directed all the operational and intelligence elements to rescue these innocent people immediately and unhurt.

 

“This is the basis, on which other issues were discussed. Obviously, the Chief of Defense Staff and the service chiefs, as well as the Inspector-General of Police, all briefed the President on the occurrences in their respective organizations.

 

“I submitted a memo to Council and my recommendations are being looked into by the President. My recommendations are wide-ranging and they touch on all aspects of security, starting with the level of security of our land borders, as well as within the country itself.

 

“In terms of securing the nation, we’ve recorded a lot of successes in the maritime domain and obviously, the problem now has shifted to our borders from outside. As a result of that, there’s a need for us to configure how we’re going to make our borders more secure because of the threats coming from outside the borders.

 

Explaining further he said “Now, the issue in the North East, there’s been a lot of improvement and that has been attested to by the governor of Borno state during our last National Council of States meeting, but nevertheless, the fact that the Northeast is becoming much more stable, more and more people from the terrorists have started surrendering to government, has not really brought to an end the way we would want the situation in the country because the threat is now shifted from the Northeast to the Northwest, and the Northcentral and this threat has to be contained.

 

“It has to be contained collectively by both the armed forces as well as the constabulary forces; the Nigerian Police Force, Civil Defense, but the intelligence agencies also have been directed to enhance the acquisition of intelligence.

 

“The present situation in the country calls for a collective effort by all, not just those that have been charged with the responsibility of physically securing the country, the most important thing, for now, is the acquisition of intelligence and the type of intelligence that is needed is human intelligence

 

“And I need to make it very clear, I have to be very honest; unless the wider society, right down to the local governments, are willing to give the type of information that is needed to block the activities of these criminals, this situation will continue to linger beyond whatever timeframe we’re looking at, towards ending this great problem.

 

“A lot of lives are being lost, the President is not happy about this situation, he’s made it very clear. The first assignment he’s given to the security agencies, especially the armed forces and the police is to rescue those that are in captivity, not just those that were captured during the last train incident, but those that have been in captivity in other parts of the country. That is the first thing that has to be done.”

 

On why is it difficult to deploy technology, especially in some areas where the military has been having problems, he said “One, technology is expensive. Technology takes time to acquire these things. Since inherently we do not produce this very, very delicate equipment.

 

“It’s not as if the government is not making any effort to acquire but we need to know who to acquire this technology from, where, when and there are certain processes.

 

“For now, I know we have but the plight is that they are inadequate, so to the government, it’s a continuous process. That’s what I can say about the issue of deploying technology,” he added.

 

The NSA also spoke on the threats coming from the country’s vast land borders and the need to replicate in them what has been achieved in the maritime borders.

 

He also stressed the imperative of intelligence from ordinary citizens as he noted that unless the wider society is willing to provide the necessary intelligence, the problem of insecurity will linger beyond the time frame intended to end menace.

 

Meanwhile, the Monguno has criticised the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for being a loud mouth,  that may indirectly help terroists restrategise as well as danger those in captivity.

 

He was responding to question on El-Rufai’s claim that intelligence was made available to the military early enough on hideout of bandits and planned attacks but they failed to act.

 

According to the NSA, El Rufai’s comments could compromise the security situation as the bandits can relocate to other destinations, if they know that their current hideout is known.

 

He said: “Governor, Nasir El-Rufai,  spoke about the security agencies saying  we know who they are, where they are. Again, that is the danger. When you start talking too much, you give away a lot, I agree. Now, even if they say we know where they are, that in itself is already a problem. Because once you say it, whether it is true or false, the person who has your people in captivity will move to another location. It’s just as simple as that.

So sometimes is best to just keep silent, mum is the word.”

 

He also spoke on the recent arms deal with the United States government.

According to him, Nigeria and the US came to an agreement to sell some military equipment to Nigeria, after the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and himself travelled to the US, where they made a presentation to members of the Congress.

 

Also, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Abuja said no responsive government can ignore the role of religious and traditional rulers in tackling insecurity in the country.

 

 

 

Speaking at an Iftar dinner with religious and traditional rulers, the President said his administration would continue to count on the invaluable advice and guidance of members of the revered institutions towards improving the current security challenges in the country.

 

 

 

The President noted that moving Nigeria forward remains a collective responsibility, urging leaders at all levels to contribute meaningfully in making the country a better place.

 

 

 

”Today, insecurity is one of the greatest challenges facing Nigeria’s existence. This administration has invested more resources than any other to tackle insecurity.

 

 

 

”We have acquired advanced equipment for our armed forces and the police to strengthen their capacity to confront terrorism and banditry. We have made adequate budgetary allocations for security.

 

 

 

”Whatever the security agencies request I make it available to them immediately.

 

 

 

”But insecurity is a world-wide phenomenon. The cure and the answer is for all sections of society to do their bit and confront the criminals head-on.

 

 

 

”The success of our armed and other security forces also depends on intelligence about the activities of bandits and terrorists.

 

 

 

”Those aiding and abetting terrorists are helping to destroy their own communities.

 

 

 

”Our traditional and religious leaders have a key role to play in terms of improving intelligence gathering about the movement of and activities of criminals in their domain,” he said.

 

 

 

Noting that the challenges confronting the country are surmountable, the President recounted that when this Administration came on board in 2015, the local governments occupied and controlled by insurgent terrorists were recovered through the determined efforts of government and cooperation of local leadership.

 

 

 

”A similar effort is required now for all localities to work in full cooperation with security agents and Insha Allah we shall see the back of this problem soon,” he said.

 

 

 

Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife, commended the Buhari administration’s timely response in curtailing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, noting that it is symbolic that when the country looks inward it can surmount many of its challenges.

 

 

 

”Mr President, thank you for inviting us for Iftar. I remember vividly that last year we couldn’t meet to break the Ramadan fast because of the COVID-19 pandemic and we pray that such will never come our way again”.

 

 

 

The Ooni of Ife urged Nigerians to use the Holy month of Ramadan to always strive for unity, and celebrate the strength in Nigeria’s diversity.

 

 

 

”We have so many positives to celebrate in our country. Yes there are challenges but let us look more on our strengths than our weaknesses,” he said.

 

 

 

Barr. Joseph Daramola, the General Secretary, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), said he believed that ”God is at work in Nigeria,” noting that there were spiritual lessons to learn on nation building from the Muslim Holy month of Ramadan and the Christian Lenten period that just ended with the Easter celebration.

 

 

 

”The power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is able to bring our nation back to life, making every situation that looks impossible, possible,” the CAN scribe said.

 

Meanwhile, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo says amid growing insecurity in the country, creation of a State Police will be a better option than community policing.

 

He spoke when the leadership of the National Association of Ex-Local Government chairmen in Nigeria paid him a courtesy visit in his Abeokuta residence.

 

A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi indicated the visit was led by the pioneer National chairman, Hon. Albert Asipa, the Ogun State chapter Chairman, Rt. Hon. Shoyemi Coker, Hon. Chinwe Monu-Olarewaju (Delta State) (Chairman BOT) and the traditional ruler of Odogbolu, His Royal Highness, Oba (Dr) Toye Mojeed Alatise, Gbegande of Ososa, a former chairman of Ijebu Ode Local Government area of Ogun State among others.

 

Obasanjo who commended the initiative behind the formation of the body, said the development clearly showed that some local government chairmen in the country were better than even the top elected leaders.

 

Obasanjo while responding to one of the speakers, Chinwe Monu-Olarewaju’s submission on creation of community police to curb the wave of insecurity quipped that the idea needed to be changed.

 

He said, “Our situation in Nigeria concern everyone, particularly, the case of terrorism. The case has gotten over the issue of community police. It is now State police. It is from that State Police that we can now be talking about community police.”

 

He also spoke on the need to strengthen the traditional system and the local government administration, “which I prepared during the popular Murtala/Obasanjo administration, because I believe that there is a need to enable that tier of government to work truly as a local government. They have their own Executive, Judiciary and Legislature.

 

“They were working and they were very visible, building and managing roads, looking into education, health, local administration, agriculture, but they were all gone,” Obasanjo said.

 

He said that the experience the former chairmen had in local government administration was enough to aspire for higher posts, stressing that some of them have the competence, ability and integrity to get to these posts.

 

Obasanjo, who was presented with a letter of a life patron, assured that he would look into their request, assuring further that he would be available on request for their needs at all times.

 

Ashipa had earlier told the former President why they decided to come together in all the 774 local governments in the country, declaring, “we can also contribute to the economy and political developments of the country.

 

“And realizing your position as father of local government in Nigeria, we need you to actualize our goals, hence this all important visit. And to come and say happy 85th birthday celebrations. ”

 

Others present were Hon. Abayomi Tella (National Organising Secretary), Hon. Garba Fatai Adeniyi (National Auditor), Hon. Ayantoye Adekunle ( State Chairman, Osun State), Hon Tajudeen Oke (State Chairman, Oyo State), Hon. Akinwunmi Sowore (State Chairman, Ondo State), Hon Ogidi Akindele (State Chairman, Ekiti State) and Hon Nicholas Akinbiola ( Ondo State).

 

They also include, Hon. Adeniyi Fasanmi ( National Asst Fin Secretary), Hon Isikilu Makinde (Ogun State), Hon Gafar Balogun (Ogun State), Hon. Yayaya Olodeoku (Chairman, OGBC) and Hon.  Tajudeen Salako (State Secretary, Ogun State).

In another development , Rivers State governor and Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirant, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike says the establishment of State police will be one enduring approach to addressing the festering insecurity in Nigeria.

 

Governor Wike while wooing delegates of PDP in Taraba State when he met with them in Jalingo on Thursday, dismissed the argument against the need for State police.

 

“The federal government, you cannot stop this insecurity if you don’t have state police. You must have state police, there is no two ways about it. Having a state police does not mean you will not have a federal police. All over the federal system, even councils have their own police so that you employ people who know the environment.

 

“You cannot take a stranger to go to Mabila, it will take him years to understand that place. You can’t take a stranger and go to Donga or Chanchangi. So, you need people who knows the environment so they will be able to take care of the place.

 

“If federal offences are committed, the federal police should handle them. If  they are state offences, the state police should handle. So one key thing to stop this insecurity in Nigeria is to have state police.”

 

The Rivers State governor said those opposing state police often argue that if allowed, State governors will use it against their opponents.

 

“The question is will the governors be in office permanently? So, that argument is neither here or there. If this party called APC government loves Nigeria and are committed to Nigeria, one project that they would have given to Nigeria is the creation of State police.”

 

Governor Wike explained that the beauty of establishing State police is to ensure that people who are indigenous to an area are engaged in policing their environment.

 

Speaking further, governor Wike told the delegates that he was presenting himself to them to be given the presidential ticket to fly the party’s flag in the 2023 election because he is prepared to end the many troubles facing Nigeria.

 

According to him, Nigeria needs a leader who is forthright, can speaks the truth always and competently be the Commander-in-Chief who goes to the field where Nigerians can relate with their daily experiences.

 

“The one problem that our (PDP) government, (under me if elected) must solve is to bring down the level of insecurity in this country otherwise there is no way the economy can grow.

 

“When bandits hear my name they will run because I will take the war to them. I will be the Commander- in-Chief in action.

 

“I’ll be commanding in projects, in security, in agriculture and the economy together with the armed forces. I’ll be commanding every aspects of life that will make Nigerians happy. This is because I have the capacity to solve the problems of Nigeria.”

 

Governor Wike lamented the incidences of bomb blast in parts of the country and at railway tracks.

 

He described such incidences including the operations of Boko Haram and bandits that have killed most Nigerians as the legacy of the APC federal government.

 

Similarly, the Taraba State governor, Darius Ishaku also harped the need for creation of state police.

 

He lamented the state of insecurity in Nigeria and expressed optimism that if PDP returns to power in 2023, the party will restore the lost glory of the country.

 

“He (Wike) speaks the truth, he fears nobody, and he is a workaholic. You have seen how he has turned Rivers State to a working site. We welcome him. We know what he has said, if God permits he will do it.

 

“Nigeria is yearning for leadership. He has said it, hunger doesn’t know east, south or west. Kidnapping doesn’t know south, east or west. Security is security. If there is no security there is no economy. If there is no economy, the country is not existing.”

 

On his part, former Governor of Gombe State Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who described Governor Wike as a faithful party man with requisite experience to lead Nigeria.

 

“He is a true party man. Wike joined the party in 1998 and he is still in the party. He has never left even when the going was tough. When great people ran away, Wike stayed. He did not only stay, because he did not have anywhere to go, he contributed in building the party, in making the party stable and ensuring that the party continue as a growing concern.”

 

“I have been to Rivers State while I was a governor, and have also been to Rivers State while I left as a governor. This is a man that has performed extremely very well. In education, health, social interaction of people and most importantly in security. In the area of security which is our major problem in Nigeria today, Wike has stabilise the Niger Delta today, particularly his own state of Rivers.

 

“You can remember how Rivers was eight years ago and you see how Rivers has become one of the most visited states in Nigeria today. Companies are coming back, revenues have double, you know this is important in all the states, when you lost revenue because people are leaving. People have come back, investments have come back, development is in force.”