The National Security Council (NSC) has urged those behind the creation of National Taskforce on the Prohibition of Illegal Importation/Smuggling of Arms, Ammunition, Light Weapons, Chemical Weapons and Pipeline Vandalism (NATFORCE) to disband the “illegal” outfit or be forced to do so by security agencies.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, announced this Thursday while briefing State House reporters alongside his Police Affairs counterpart, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, after the NSC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Bill to legalise the NATFORCE is currently being considered in the National Assembly amid opposition from security experts.
Aregbesola said the highest security executive body expressed satisfaction with the performance of security agencies in the fight against insecurity.
He added that the administration hopes to end security challenges by December this year.
“The Council has just concluded today’s meeting. It received briefings from all security chiefs and the Council is very satisfied with the performances of all our security chiefs; the military, the police and other security agencies. We are happy with their performance and the gains recorded so far.
“We are moving to the phase of consolidation of all those gains, such that by December, as ordered by the Chairman of the Council, the President, which he has said to all Nigerians before now, that we’ll put, essentially, most of the challenges of banditry particularly, insurgency, kidnapping for ransom, criminalities of that nature, far behind us.
“We are equally pleased with the performance of the Nigeria Police on the elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun, which elections have demonstrated our commitment to democracy and expression of the will of the people at the polls.
“Equally of concern is the presence of some illegal outfits that impersonate the legitimate security agencies. Of particular concern is a body called National Task Force on Illegal Importation of Goods, Small Arms and what have you, but the short name for it is NATFORCE.
“The Council declares that body an illegal organization, it should just simply disband itself, because the Council has ordered all security agencies to enforce the disbandment of that body and other such bodies that operate illegally without any force of law,” he said.
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