MINISTER for Information and Culture Lai Mohammed has said that the Nigerian government and its security personnel have the wherewithal to crush kidnapping, banditry and other forms of insecurity in the country.
The minister said this at a press conference held in Lagos on Tuesday, stressing that the Federal Government was not overwhelmed by the rising spate of insecurity in the country.
He hinted that while the nation’s military had superior fire power over the terrorists, caution was being exercised to avoid causing harm to the same people being protected.
He advised the Nigerian people against launching ‘deadly attacks’ on the nation’s security personnel, saying that an attack on security agents was an attack on the nation.
“I want to say, unequivocally, that an attack on our security men and women is an attack on the state and a declaration of war against the nation. It follows, therefore, that this will be countered with overwhelming force. Those engaged in this dastardly act will pay dearly for their actions,” he said.
He stated that the government was aware that the security challenges faced by the nation were systemic and had, therefore, adapted both kinetic and non-kinetic efforts in resolving the insecurity problems.
Mohammed stated that a meeting on national security was held in Kaduna on Thursday, April 8, which resulted in a 10-point agenda that would be implemented to tackle the security challenges in the country.
He stated that the government was actively engaging national stakeholders and discussants from outside the government in discussions as a means to finding a lasting solution to the challenges facing the nation.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the government retains total confidence in the ability of our security forces to tackle the security challenges we are facing now, whether it is terrorism, banditry, kidnapping or even farmer-herder conflict,” he said.
He further appealed to all Nigerians to continue to support the security agencies facing the added task of watching their backs while also trying to protect the citizenry.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.