Buhari’s directive to military to crush terrorists ‘working,’ says Lai Mohammed

Information and Culture Minister, Lai Mohammed has restated that the recent directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to the military to crush those terrorising citizens ‘is working,’ as he assured that the ‘worst is over’ in Nigeria.

Mohammed who disclosed this during a World Press briefing, Monday, in Abuja, on the security successes recorded in Nigeria, said the country’s security agencies have succeeded in pushing criminal elements to the edges and substantially restoring security across the land.

It would be recalled that worsening state of security has been the order of the day across parts of the country as killings targeted at mostly state operators, kidnappings and ransom takings by bandits and terrorists and extra-judicial killings and abductions of perceived critics of state, have dominated discourse.

The spate of terrorism has also increased to worrying levels in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) the seat of political power, as terrorists lay siege to both civilians and military operatives in unprecedented attacks unseen in the country’s history before now.

The situation prompted lawmakers of the Upper Chambers of the National Assembly to issue a six-week ultimatum to President Buhari to resolve the security situation of face impeachment by the senators, last month.

Speaking during the press briefing, the minister further assured Nigerians that as far as the daunting security challenges were concerned, the worst was over, adding that ‘never again will terrorists, bandits and their cohorts hold sway.’

“As you are all aware, the issue of security has dominated our national discourse in recent times, against the background of the terrorism, banditry and kidnapping in the North-East, North-West and North Central; separatist violence and crude oil theft in the South-East and South-South as well as cultism, armed robbery and sundry crimes in the South-West.”

Mohamed said the security challenges have been daunting – from terrorism to banditry to kidnapping to separatist violence to crude oil theft to armed robbery and sundry crimes.

“It’s undoubtedly the greatest challenge to the peace and security of our great nation since the civil war from 1967 to 1970. It is the kind of challenge that would have overwhelmed many nations.

“But thanks to the purposeful leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, we can say, I want to repeat, that the worst is over and peace and security are gradually returning to the land.

“Please don’t misunderstand or misrepresent this assertion. We may still witness isolated cases of security challenges here and there, but it will not be on the scale that we have witnessed in the past.

“When many called for the use of foreign mercenaries to tackle the challenges, especially terrorism and banditry, President Buhari never wavered in his belief in the ability of our gallant men and women in uniform to rise to the occasion, and rise to the occasion they did.

“Some said the security challenges have overwhelmed the military, but the military has now demonstrated that no group of ragtag criminals can ever overwhelm them.

“Terrorists and bandits can run but cannot hide, and this has been demonstrated by the arrest of those who attacked a church in Owo.

“These criminals can run but cannot hide, as we have seen in the decimation of the cowards who ambushed the Brigade of Guards troops in Abuja.

“I am sure you will hear from my colleagues how our military and other security agencies have been decimating the top echelon of ISWAP and Boko Haram, how armed bandits camps and resources have been destroyed, and how the capacity of IPOB/ESN has been substantially degraded.”

The Minister said that whereas in conventional warfare, the parties can declare a truce or cessation of hostilities, upon reaching an agreement, however, ‘it is not the same for the kind of unconventional warfare that the military has been fighting in recent years,’ he said.

“We are therefore not saying the battle is over. No. What we are saying is that our military and other security agents have been able to contain the daunting security challenges we face, and that the worst is indeed over.

“We have now put the terrorists, bandits and their ilk on the run and we will not relent until they have been crushed.

“We must also realize that security is the business of everyone, hence the tagline; ‘if you see something, say something.’ Terrorists or bandits are not spirits.

“They are human beings, and some of them reside in our communities. They must all be exposed and crushed for peace to reign.”

The minister, while commending the media for continuing to carry out its constitutionally-mandated watchdog role in this regard, appealed to them ‘to also endeavour to give a big play to the recent successes recorded by our security agencies in tackling terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, separatist violence and oil theft, among others, just as they gave prominence to the reporting of the security challenges at their peak.’

“It is instructive that when the terrorists and bandits strike, they get a very prominent mention in the media, but when the security agencies hit them hard, as they are doing now, a section of the media suddenly goes quiet.

“This is not helpful for the morale of the fighting forces and even the citizens,” he concluded.