Govt to begin security campaign against insurgency

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has stated that the ministry will soon launch a national security campaign against insurgency in the Northeast of the country.

Mohammed disclosed this at the weekend when he paid a visit to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp in Bama town, Borno State.

According to him, intelligence gathering and robust advocacy will be used to sensitize Nigerians to the need to wage war against the insurgents, adding that no nation succeeded in the fight against insurgency without the civilian component.

“We will let Nigerians know that the fight against insurgency is a national issue and not to see it as ethnic or religious issue,’’ he said.
He explained that the ministry would roll out national jingles to educate Nigerians on the need to be vigilant and report any suspicious movements to the security agencies.

He commended the military for keeping Nigeria one, and taking back Bama town and other communities in the North-East from the insurgents, adding that the Federal Government would ensure that no Nigerian territory remained in the hands of insurgents before the end of the year.

He further stressed that as the insurgents failed to make further attack on villages, they could go under to attack soft targets such as hotels, markets, mosques and churches.

“I urge Nigerians to be vigilant in these public places and ensure that they know their neighbour’s means of livelihood with a view to complementing the military’s efforts against the insurgents.

“I also call for synergy between the military and the media to enhance mutual understanding in the war against insurgency because security is everybody’s business,” he said.

Responding, Borno State Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, commended the minister for the visit, adding that Mohammed was the first Minister of Information that visited the state to get firsthand information on the war against insurgency.

The governor said the state had witnessed unimaginable destruction of 27 local government areas from 2009 to date caused by the insurgency.

Shettima, who blamed the insurgency on poverty and unemployment, urged the Federal Government to address the problems of poverty, unemployment and lack of hope for youth.
Theatre Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole Maj.-Gen. Yushau Abubakar, said the operation covered Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and parts of Gombe and Bauchi states.

He urged Nigerians to join the military in the fight against insurgency, stressing that every Nigerian has a role to play to complement the military’s efforts, as the military cannot be everywhere.

He added that the command had dislodged insurgents in over 50 villages and gave humanitarian services to IDPs in collaboration with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and other humanitarian agencies.