By Harry Awurumibe, Editor Abuja Bureau
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai has urged all Nigerians to support the military and other security agencies so as to end insurgency and other security challenges troubling some parts of the country.
Buratai made the call on Monday in an interview with State House Correspondents, after he briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on activities of the army in the North-Western part of the country.
He said giving vital information about the whereabouts and movements of insurgents and bandits will help a lot in containing the situation.
“If you want insurgency and other acts of criminality to end today, the totality of the people’s effort must be put into the matter so as to see that insecurity in the country is reduced to the barest minimum.
“But if we don’t do anything and continue to complain, and continue to accuse the agencies involved in fighting it, then we are not helping matters. You are supposed to find solutions as something is being done on daily basis. I assure you that we will soon reach the end of the tunnel and we will see the light that will improve the security situation in all parts of the country.”
The Chief of Army Staff said although securing the country is not an easy task, the army will continue to do its best in carrying out its task.
“We are still carrying out our task and we will deal with them. You know securing a country is a task that everybody knows and we will prevent the country from any form of insecurity and in this case, you know the military task is very clear; to defend our country from external aggression, to defend our territorial integrity and to come to the aid of civil authority, which we are doing.
“So, the same task that we should end curtail or bring to the barest minimum, the issue of banditry, kidnapping, terrorism and insurgency and we will do it. We are essentially supporting the Nigerian Police and we will do it to make sure that our country is safe,” he assured Nigerians.
He noted that the worrisome situation in the North-West was already improving, due to steps taken by officers and men of the Nigerian Army in collaboration with other security agencies.
The Army Chief therefore, commended his men involved in the Peacekeeping operation in the zone and other parts of the country for doing a good job, adding that normalcy will soon be restored to the affected areas.
