Despite the protracted forms of insecurity in the country, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has commended the Nigerian Army, the police and other security agencies for keeping Boko Haram insurgents, insurrectionists and separatists at bay.
The MURIC Director, Prof Ishaq Akintola, said this in a statement.
According to him, the organization reviewed the current security situation in the country while noting the few security lapses particularly banditry and kidnapping for ransom.
“MURIC commends the Nigerian Army, the police, the Department of State Security (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Security Agency (NSA) for their roles in keeping Boko Haram insurgents, opportunistic insurrectionists, irredentist separatists, merchants of fake news and vendors of hate speech at bay.
“All may not be well, we may not have a perfect society or a crime-free country, but at least we know that even advanced countries like the United States and Britain have their own crime-related headaches in spite of their access to sophisticated gadgets.
“We appreciate the sacrifices of our patriotic soldiers who are in the trenches in rain and sunshine. We hail our gallant policemen who maintain law and order on the roads and in our neighbourhoods. We salute our wounded soldiers and policemen who are lying in their beds in various hospitals across the country,” Akintola said.
He added that MURIC particular commended soldiers who have lost their limbs on the battlefield, policemen who were killed or wounded during attacks on police stations and brave men and women of the DSS and NSA who have suffered mishaps while on special missions.
He said, “Our thoughts go to the families of all these great men at this moment. Our hearts bleed for the widows and orphans left behind by Nigeria’s fallen heroes. They stayed awake all night so that we can sleep with both eyes closed. They died so that we can live.
“It is only in Nigeria that the citizens mock their gallant security agents. The same Nigerian Army they are mocking secured Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Ethiopia, etc and won laurels for the country. The same Nigerian police they are deriding have served in Sudan and other African countries and performed wonderfully.”
He added that Boko Haram insurgents occupied 17 local governments till 2015 and were palpably present in Adamawa and Yobe, but that today they have been dispossessed and put on the run by Nigerian soldiers. “Suicide bombing was rampant up till 2016 but we no longer hear of it. Boko Haram is decimated and technically defeated. The recent surrender of thousands of insurgents speak volumes about this. They are surrendering to superior forces,” Akintola said.