FG Raises Concerns over Worsening Insecurity, Military Laments Setback in Recent Operations, Kill 46 Insurgents

*Govt assures on police salary increment 

*IG deploys new CPs to Imo, Kaduna, Adamawa, Edo 

*Kaduna pastors protest persistent terrorists’ attacks 

*House probes poor intelligence gathering by security agencies

Kingsley Nwezeh, Udora Orizu in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna
The federal government yesterday expressed concern over the state of insecurity in the country. Speaking in Abuja, Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Dingyadi said government was worried about recent attacks in Kaduna and Zamfara States.He expressed concern that attacks by terrorists were aided by unpatriotic people and called on community leaders to support government’s efforts to contain security challenges. Furthermore, he deplored calls to allow citizens to carry arms in view of the security situation in the country, saying the armed forces were constitutionally empowered to carry arms, noting that such a situation would amount to lawlessness.

Dingyadi said: “Recent events in Kaduna and Zamfara States are of serious to government. Most of these banditry activities are aided by unpatriotic people in the communities. I am appealing to all community leaders to cooperate with security agencies. The Buhari administration committed to ensure adequate security in the country.

“He said government was determined to provide the necessary equipment for the Nigeria Police and other security agencies to optimised their performance.On salary increment for police, the minister said government had expedited action on the matter.”We are fast-tracking it. Mr. President is committed to it. It was his own idea and we are implementing it.”Police management is up to the task.

They are loading with the Ministry of Finance to ensure it is done. Very soon, it will be done”, he said.Also, yesterday, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Usman Baba, ordered the posting of CP Abutu Yaro, to the Edo State Police Command as the new Commissioner of Police in charge of the State. The IG also ordered the posting of CP Sikiru Akande Kayode, CP Yekini Adio Ayoku and CP Mohammed Ahmed Barde to head the Adamawa, Kaduna, and Imo State Police commands respectively.

Military Laments Setback in Recent Operations, Kill 46 Insurgents
In a related development, speaking at a media briefing in Abuja, yesterday, the Director, Defence Media Operations (DDMO), Maj. Gen. Benard Onyeuko, lamented recent setbacks in military operations, apparently referring to the train bombing and killing of soldiers in Kaduna.He said the military had launched an offensive in Kaduna with a view to containing the insurgents and restoring normalcy in order to ensure that such incidents as train bombing and infiltration of the airport don’t happen again.

He also disclosed that a total of 51,114 Boko Haram fighters and families, who surrendered to troops as at April 5, 2022, comprised of 11,398 men, 15,381 women, 24,335 children.On counterterrorism operations in the north-east, he stated that troops neutralised scores of terrorist arrested, 22 spies of the insurgents, 11 terrorists, three logistics suppliers  and rescued 30 civilians.

He said a high-profile terrorist, Commander Sale Mustapha surrendered to troops.He added: “Cumulatively, in the last two weeks, troops recovered one battle tank, five artillery guns, two GTS, three AA guns, one Mine Resistance Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle, three gun trucks, one MOWAG Armored Personnel Carrier, two RPG tubes, three RPG rockets, three RPG bombs.

” Insecurity: Kaduna Pastors Protest Persistent Terrorists’ Attacks
However, some Christian clerics under the umbrella of “Interfaith Alliance,” yesterday protested against the persistent terrorists’ attacks in Kaduna, calling on the federal government to go all out to deal with the criminals.Kaduna has been the epicentre of terrorists attacks in recent time. On March 26, 2022, the Kaduna international airport was attacked by terrorists, killing a security guard.

Two days after the airport attack, the terrorists attacked the Abuja-Kaduna passenger train, killing eight people, while many others were either abducted of injured.Several communities and suburbs within Kaduna metropolis have been under constant attacks by the terrorists, almost on a daily basis. The latest of such attacks was on Wednesday when the terrorists reportedly invaded Anguwan Juji and Angwan Gimbiya suburbs in Sabon Tasha area of Kaduna metropolis and abducted unspecified number of people.

The protesting pastors who gathered peacefully around the busy Lagos Roundabout with placards carrying various inscriptions, condemned the security situation Kaduna state.They called on the federal government to take urgent steps to tame the terrorists.They noted that, “although government was doing its best, the best was not good enough”.The convener of the group, Rev. Emmanuel Adebayo, who addressed the gathering,said government must go all out to end terrorism and all forms of criminality in the country.He appealed to the federal government to compensate all the victims of terrorists’ attacks and award scholarships to children affected by banditry as well as rebuild communities ravaged by the attacks.

Adebayo said the government should be more proactive in whatever actions that are being taken against the terrorists.“The essence of our gathering today is to put together what we refer to as “Kaduna prays”, as prayers work against insecurity.“I am sure everybody knows that Kaduna is one of the states plagued by incidences of banditry and terrorism and various forms of criminality and of late, it has been on the increase,” he said.

He expressed disappointment with the federal government, saying Nigerians were not satisfied with the way the insecurity was being handled.Adebayo said, “The government needs to be more proactive. We have been hearing about cry of our governor; he said he has been taken the reports to those concern; he said they know where they (terrorists) are, and that they listen to their telephone conversation but the response from the security agencies are not good enough.”So we are praying that God should touch their hearts to put in more efforts and to be more responsive so that this issue of insecurity won’t be more reactionary but be preventive and we pray that God will give them more wisdoms on how to go about it in Jesus name”.

House Probes Poor Intelligence Gathering by Security Agencies
The House of Representatives yesterday mandated its Committee on National Security and Intelligence to investigate the operational and co-operational lapses by Nigeria Intelligence Agencies which has led to the dearth of adequate intelligence gathering. The resolution of the lawmakers was sequel to the adoption of a motion on the need to strengthen the intelligence gathering capacity of security agencies in Nigeria, sponsored by Hon. Dennis Idahosa at plenary.Moving the motion, Idahosa noted the recent rising sequence of insecurity across the country in the forms of kidnappings, terrorism and cattle rustling and farmers/herders conflicts.

He also noted that the situation could be attributed to the dearth of timely and adequate intelligence gathering which has rendered security activities in the country ineffective.According to him, this encourages attacks by insurgents, bandits and kidnappers due to the absence of intelligence that would have prompted pre-emptive or proactive actions by the security forces. 

He said the House was aware that the lack of professional handling of sensitive intelligence (information) has led to colossal loss of lives and properties across the country, particularly in the North-East and North-West Zone.He observed that frosty relationships among the security forces and the citizens are another challenge to security operations, hence the near-collapse of the gathering of intelligence. Idahosa therefore advised that there’s need to improve the professional standards of Nigeria Security Agencies in the aggressive gathering of intelligence and restructure the general intelligence architecture.