- IGP summons police commanders, says arms trafficking compounding insecurity
- DHQ upgrades intelligence management system
- No result despite huge investment in security – Lawan
- FG suspends Lagos-Kano train service
The Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, says the nation’s security environment remains fluid and uncertain with terrorists moving between the north east, northwest and north central.
He charged Nigerian Air Force operational commanders to employ maximum firepower against the terrorists.
Amao, according to a statement yesterday by NAF spokesman, Edward Gabkwet, spoke at NAF Base in Kaduna on Tuesday when he launched ‘Operation Show No Mercy’ against terrorists at a meeting with frontline Air Officers Commanding and Air Component Commanders.
According to the Air Chief, the need to continually modify NAF airpower strategies to stay ahead of the asymmetric and unconventional nature of terrorists’ activities is of paramount importance.
‘’We have a responsibility to secure our nation and give our citizens a sense of hope, trust and belonging. Therefore, we must ensure that we stay ahead of the enemy and envisage his next line of action.
‘’I, therefore, charge you to show no mercy against any terrorist and their accomplices while also denying them the freedom of movement and ease to cause mayhem against innocent Nigerians,’’ Amao said.
He said training of more combat pilots, imagery analysts and other specialties in the NAF would continue to be of utmost priority to address the manpower challenges within the operation areas.
He said efforts were at advanced stage to procure more combat platforms for the NAF to meet the ever-increasing demands of air assets in various theatres of operations across the nation.
He underscored the need for effective allocation and utilization of all NAF platforms deployed for operations in the northwest and north-central for enhanced operational effectiveness.
Also yesterday, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, at an emergency meeting with Assistant Inspectors-General of Police, Commissioners of Police and other strategic commanders, directed them to immediately begin a special visibility policing operation across their commands.
He said the operation would encompass the crime mapping of their areas of jurisdiction, identification of vulnerable points and massive deployment of personnel on motorized and foot patrols of the cities.
He said the initiative also involved the utilization of intelligence to undertake targeted raids on criminal cells.
He said an evaluation of the security situation in the country in recent times showed a concerning trend of an increase in the threat posed to the nation by terror elements, bandits, kidnappers and other highly organised and violent criminal syndicates.
‘’The trend is being compounded by the increasing rate of arms trafficking and proliferation. This has of late occasioned an attack on the correctional facility in Kuje during which some high-profile criminals escaped.
“While the police, in conjunction with the other security agencies, have succeeded in re-arresting some of the fleeing felons and have enhanced the security of the facility, this incident, and the increasing violent campaigns by armed groups in the country have led to general apprehension among the citizens and continue to present a major threat to our national security.”
DHQ upgrades intelligence management system
Meanwhile, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, yesterday said the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had begun immediate upgrading of intelligence management procedures to contain insecurity.
He also said the DHQ was implementing several new strategies to end insecurity.
He was delivering a graduation lecture for Course 30 of the National Defence College, with the topic “National Security and Development: Strategic Options for Nigeria”.
Irabor said it had become imperative that Nigeria constantly keep abreast of the security and development dynamics within her strategic neighbourhood, especially in West and Central Africa.
He stated: “To this effect, we’re working on upgrading the intelligence management procedures of the defence and security sector to strengthen the overall security architecture in the country.
“In addition, the thrust of our foreign policy should also be re-engineered to ensure Nigeria is actively engaged in the promotion of peace and security within our sphere of influence in West and Central Africa.
“The Federal Government through relevant MDAs, could as a matter of priority, explore available bilateral and multilateral opportunities at our disposal to steer the course of security and development within the countries of interests bearing in mind the realities of the domestic base of our foreign policy.”
He said timely information on suspicious movements of strangers in a community might be the main lead to provide the needed early warning for the relevant government agency to swing into action.
“Accordingly, we need to formulate a robust and proactive communication strategy that draws all citizens to the realisation of their roles in protecting the nation while also using the same medium to pre-empt and counter narratives of the insurgents.
“The strategy could also incorporate modalities for the reorientation and practicable re-integration of surrendered insurgents into the society.
“The National Orientation Agency needs to be reinvigorated, re-organised and properly funded alongside all other relevant stakeholders in the society,” he said
No result despite huge investment on national security- Lawan
Senate President Ahmad Lawan yesterday expressed worry over the rising insecurity across Nigeria despite the huge investment in national security by the present administration.
He spoke in Abuja at a meeting between the Senate leadership and heads of security and intelligence agencies.
Speaking before the meeting went into closed doors, Lawan said the insecurity was affecting the nation’s economy as there was no direct investment.
He said: “This current situation we’re is most frightening because it’s like there is nowhere to hide, nowhere to go.
“Insecurity is everywhere and especially if it’s coming to the point of dislocating the security situation where the government is quartered.
“Most of our people are in the rural areas and they live their lives by going to farms. We all know this. In many parts of the country today, that is a herculean task.
“My belief is that we can do better to secure the rural areas, the so-called ungoverned space, at least for our population who go to farms to earn their living.
“We have problems with our economy to some extent because of insecurity. No foreign direct investment or not as much as we would ordinarily attract to our country.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, said the issue of national security must be seen from collective perspective while commending the Senate leadership for initiating the parley.
Terrorism: FG suspends Lagos-Kano train service
The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has suspended the Lagos-Kano train service indefinitely following terrorism threats on the corridor.
Managing Director, NRC, Fidet Okhiria, in a statement yesterday, said there had been “suspected bandits’ presence along the Minna to Kaduna rail corridor in the north-western district of the corporation.”
He said following elevated threats in some stations on the Warri-Itapke rail line, some stations had been temporarily shut down.
“There was a report of an attempted kidnapping of some passengers that left Ajaokuta station by road vehicle going to Abuja. The vehicle was shot at, but they were able to escape. It’s on this note we decided to suspend operation in Ajaokuta station and have advised the passengers to use any of the two adjacent stations Itakpe (North) or Itogbo (South) until security situation in that area improves” he said.
He however said the train station would continue to operate.
He said “in compliance with the minister’s directive, the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train service remains suspended until all the passengers held hostage as a result of the train attack by the bandits are completely released to their relations and the additional security system is put in place to avoid reoccurrence.”
By Idowu Isamotu, Abdullateef Salau & Chris Agabi
