Be Alive to Your Responsibilities, Buhari Reads Riot Act to Security Chiefs

•Says they should go after terrorists, eliminate them

Deji Elumoye

About a week after he reprimanded the military for not justifying the investment in them, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, charged the heads of military and other security agencies in the country to be alive to their briefs by going after the terrorists troubling the peace of the nation and eliminating them.

The president read the Riot Act to the security agencies while speaking to newsmen shortly after joining other Muslim faithful to observe the Eid prayers at the Mambila Barracks Parade Ground, Abuja, in commemoration of this year’s Eid-el-Fitr.

Fielding questions from reporters after returning to the State House, Abuja, from the prayer ground, Buhari declared that, “Heads of the services: Army, Navy, Air Force, the Inspector-General of Police and so on, are very much aware of the situation. It’s their duties to know where the terrorists are and eliminate them.”

He said his administration would continue to work to make the country safe for Nigerians, adding that, it was important to make the country safe, especially, as the rains have started coming, noting that farmers must be assured of their safety as they returned to the farms, thereby securing the country’s food production.

“We’ll continue to make the environment secure, especially, when the rainy season is coming, so that farmers can go back to their farms and we wouldn’t have problem of food security,” he said.

Commenting on the forthcoming 2023 general elections in the country, the President reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to free, fair and transparent process.

Asked on who he would like to hand over to as President, President Buhari said, “The person that Nigerians elect.”

In his message during the Eid service, the acting Chief Imam of Mambila Barracks, Dahiru Shua Mohammed, stressed the need for genuine repentance from sin by all, love for one another, forgiveness, tolerance and constant prayers to Allah as the weapon against all adversities of life.

The cleric further emphasised that extra efforts must be made in obeying the commandments of Allah, exercising patience at all times for his sake, as well as maintaining the competition in good deeds for humanity, nature, cooperation and brotherhood.

Special prayers were also offered for an end to the various challenges bedeviling the country, peaceful 2023 elections, as well as sustainable national unity, stability and prosperity.