Barely 72 hours after 81 persons were killed in Faduma Kolomdi village in Borno State, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday says the Nigerian military has ‘considerably downgraded’ insurgency and banditry in the country.
Boko Haram terrorists Tuesday afternoon launched an attack at Faduma Kolomdi, Gubio district, Borno State.
The terrorists group, which has killed more than 30,000 people since 2009, has not stopped staging regular attacks and stealing livestock in the country’s Northeast during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also, 20 persons were also allegedly killed same Tuesday by about 200 armed men in Kadisau village, Katsina state.
But President Buhari, in his Democracy Day National Broadcast restated his commitment to protecting the citizens and national infrastructures.
He said some local governments which were earlier taken over by the insurgents in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states had been recovered while his administration remains dedicated to national security.
“Ending insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality across the nation is being accorded appropriate priorities and the men and women of the Armed Forces of Nigeria have considerably downgraded such threats across all geo-political zones,” Buhari said.
“All the LGAs that were taken over by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have long been recovered and are now occupied by indigenes of these areas who were hitherto forced to seek a living in areas far from their ancestral homes.”
Though President expressed disappointment over the Katsina and Borno incidents, he attributed the killings to criminals who had taken advantage of the Coronavirus dsease (COVID-19) restrictions to perpetrate crimes in the concerned states.
He admitted that some of the attacks have affected rural economies of the state and could mar the nation’s effort to food security.
Buhari, however, expressed hope that security agencies would arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
He appealed to states and local governments authorities to complement efforts of security operatives by providing intelligent information to end insecurity in the affected locations.
“I send my heartfelt condolences to all the relatives and communities affected,” he stated.
He emphasised that part of efforts to strengthen the nation’s internal security architecture, led to the creation of the Ministry of Police Affairs.
The president listed the expansion of the National Command and Control Centre to 19 states, reviving of the National Public Security Communication System as well as the implementation of the community policing strategy as measures taken to restore security.
According to him, the government also established the Nigerian Police Trust Fund as a public-private sector initiative for alternative sources of funding security activities.
In order to reduce security challenges at the external borders, especially smuggling of oil products out of the country, inflow of small arms and drugs into the country, the President said operation “Ex-Swift Response” was introduced.
These, he noted led to the border closure from August 20th 2019, and have reportedly met its objectives and improved nation’s revenue.
Reports say Boko Haram insurgents have killed over 30,000 people since 2009 and displaced more than 3.3 million people.
Olugbenga heads the Investigations Desk at The ICIR. Do you have a scoop? Shoot him an email at [email protected]. Twitter Handle: @OluAdanikin