Presidency highlights measures, initiatives to tackle security challenges

The Presidency has listed measures so far adopted to address the security challenges plaguing country, assuring Nigerians that the perpetrators of criminal activities in parts of the federation would be brought to book in no time.

Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, who highlighted the initiatives in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said the Muhammadu Buhari administration was committed to finding sustainable solutions to the insecurity in the land.He stressed that it was the constitutional duty and responsibility of government to safeguard lives and property of all citizens, adding: “These are no doubt times of great security challenges for our country and the Buhari-led government is not leaving any stones unturned to restore sanity.

“The Buhari administration remains committed to this, and despite recent spikes in the spate of crime and criminality, the evildoers will be beaten, and badly, too. The ravening clouds can never be victorious. Soon, they shall no longer possess the sky.”

Adesina listed the security initiatives taken between January and now for the safety and security of Nigerians to include Operation Puff Adder (Nigeria Police), Operation Harbin Kunama III and Exercise Egwu Eke 3 (Nigeria Army) to complement Operations Sharan Daji and Diran Mikiya of the Nigerian Air Force.He added: “All of these operations are focused on tackling banditry and criminality in the North West of Nigeria.

“Operation Harbin Kunama 3 was launched on April 1 to ensure the complete defeat of the bandits fleeing military operations in Zamfara State and escaping to Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Niger and Sokoto states.” The presidential aide said hundreds of kidnappers and bandits had either been arrested or killed since January with several camps and hideouts destroyed and hundreds of hostages rescued.

In a two-week operation from February 4 to February 14, 2019, the Nigeria Army, according to him, freed no fewer than 80 hostages while neutralising 37 bandits.He also explained that aerial bombardments of bandits’ camps had been intensified in recent months.

Adesina further said: “A new Air Force Base- the 271 Nigeria Air Force Detachment (271 NAF Det) – was commissioned at Birinin Gwari in Kaduna State in May 2019 to complement the 207 Quick Response Group (QRG) established in Gusau, Zamfara State in 2017.”For the police, the presidency said between January 2019 and the first week of May, 270 kidnap and 275 robbery suspects were arrested among other feats.