The federal government has affirmed that Nigerians are scared and worried about the worsening insecurity in the land.
Addressing reporters in Abuja on Thursday after the National Security Council meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj-Gen Babagana Monguno (retd), said Nigerians had lost confidence in the government.
He noted that fighting asymmetric conflict is a collective effort, not something that should be confined to only the security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
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“When we keep saying whole of society approach, whole of government approach, to get a whole of nation approach, what it means is that everybody has to partake in this enterprise. The truth is that no country can ever overcome the difficulties of an asymmetric conflict by virtue of the fact that the enemy of the state is embedded within the population within the wider society.
“It’s true that the local people are averse, they’re scared, they’re worried and there’s no confidence. That is understandable. But without their support, without the cooperation in terms of giving information, it makes it very hard for the operational elements.
The NSA said the Security Council was working on new strategies to tackle the insecurity.
He said council was in the process of winding up special investigation on Kuje Correctional Centre attack to hold those found negligent accountable for their actions.
The NSA urged the politicians to take into account the consequences of their utterances which might have wider society; and the media, to be circumspect in what they published from terrorists.
“A few days ago, troops of the guards brigade were ambushed and decimated. Had there been a collective effort by way of just snippets of information we might have averted that incident. That’s not to say the responsibility is for those outside the security domain. It’s a collective responsibility.”
According to Monguno, Nigeria is in a very difficult situation. “And Council understands. Mr. President understands people’s concerns about the growing insecurity. But I can assure you that there’s no straight cut and dried method of dealing with this thing unless all of us embrace each other.
“I know people are wary, people are tired people are beginning to gravitate to other places for self-help. The truth is that help is rooted in everyone working for the other person.”
He said the Armed Forces had made a commitment that they had already started working on a new strategy, which would be ready in the coming weeks, to deal with these “snippets of violence. And they’ve given their words, their commitment to the president, that there’ll be a change in momentum, regardless of the fact that there might be certain institutional limitations which they face.”
Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Defence Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, told reporters in Abuja yesterday that personnel attached to 7 Guards Battalion and 167 Special Force Battalion in conjunction with the air component of Operation Whirl Punch killed 30 terrorists who planned to attack the Law School, Abuja.
A captain and two soldiers lost their lives Sunday night in the Bwari area of the FCT while trying to foil an attack by terrorists on the Law School.
Onyeuko said the troops successfully cleared Kawu and Ido villages, neutralising the terrorists and destroyed their hideout.
He said the ground troops also recovered six motorcycles, two AK47 rifles, one fully loaded LMG magazine among others.
He assured residents of FCT in that “we’re undaunted and unrelenting in our efforts to ensure the safety of lives and properties. People should go about their normal business as their safety is guaranteed.”
By Muideen Olaniyi, Abdullateef Salau & Idowu Isamotu
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