Insecurity: Buhari Wants Governors, Monarchs to Support Military with Intelligence

 

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has again blamed the collapse of the Muammar Gaddafi regime in Libya for the proliferation of arms in West Africa and movement of cross-border criminals that have made Nigeria's security challenges intractable. 

Speaking in a meeting  with the country's 36 state governors at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday, the President said: The sub-region is no longer safe, more so with the collapse of the former Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and the cross border movement of weapons and criminals."

Contrary to recent discoveries, the President also blamed traditional rulers and local community dwellers for the rising wave of terrorism and banditry in the north as he accused them of failing to supply security agencies with Intelligence on the movement and plans of criminals. 

This claim has however been disputed repeatedly by individuals and groups in Borno state who claim they even suffer fatal consequences for giving the military information about the movement of terrorists and their agents. 

The Boko Haram also recently said the group killed about 78 farmers in Zamarmari, Jere local government area of the state in retaliation for the farmers' collaboration with the military to fight them. 

Despite credible facts to the contrary, President Buhari and his surrogates have continued to accuse locals in Borno of not cooperating with the military even as the insurgents continue to kill them for the same offence of giving information to the security agents. 

 At the Tuesday meeting, the President insisted that traditional rulers and community members must "improve local intelligence gathering that will aid the work of security agencies."

The President, who listened to presentations by a governor from each of the six geo-political zones on their specific security challenges, recalled that in the old order communities identified new comers and passed information to constituted authority.

“Governors must work with traditional rulers. Try and work with traditional rulers to boost intelligence gathering.’’

Giving an overview of the security situation in each of the zones, the President claimed that his administration had done well in the North East and South South, adding that the South South situation was still worrisome.

“Every day I get situation reports about illegal refineries and the blowing up of pipelines. You must stop local rogues from sabotaging oil installations.’’

Addressing the issue of banditry and kidnapping reported in each of the geo-political zones, President Buhari said “security is important and we must secure the whole country. We are thinking very hard on the issue of kidnapping. We will make it possible for the military to get to the bandits and kidnappers and eliminate them.’’