The insecurity Nigeria is presently facing is the greatest challenge the country has had to deal with since the civil war of 1967 to 1970, the federal government has said.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed while addressing a World Press Conference on Monday in Abuja. He, however, said that with the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari, the worst is now over as he observed that peace and security are gradually returning to the land.
Mohammed stated: “The security challenges we have faced as an administration has been daunting ranging 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.”
Mohammed noted that the issue of security has dominated the national discourse in recent times, against the background of 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.
He added: “Today, we are here to tell you that while we may not be there yet, our military and other security agencies have succeeded – and are succeeding – in substantially restoring security across the nation.
“As far as the daunting security challenges we face are concerned, we can tell you that the worst is over. Never again will terrorists and bandits and their cohorts hold sway in our country.”
The government’s spokesman said against the claim in some quarters that the insecurity had overwhelmed the nation’s security forces, they have been able to demonstrate that it is not the case.
He argued: “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 and co 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.”
While admitting that the war has not been won, Mohammed stated: “Please note that whereas in conventional warfare, the parties can declare a truce or cessation of hostilities, upon reaching an agreement, it is not the same for the kind of unconventional warfare that our military has been fighting in recent years.
“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.”
In his presentation, the Minister of Defence, Magashi, spoke on the several ongoing security operations around the country, noting that even though the security forces are active everywhere, it does not mean that the whole nation is insecure.
He highlighted the various successes recorded by the military in tackling all sorts of criminality including terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and crude oil theft, saying that the Abuja-Kaduna road has now been secured with the reorganization of the military operation on the expressway.
The minister recalled the recent prevention of crude oil theft worth $500 million involving a super tanker.
Magashi added, “These efforts were geared towards flushing out criminal elements from the Kaduna – Abuja Expressway and its environs, and am pleased to inform you that the Abuja-Kaduna
expressway has been secured through a combined effort of the Armed Forces, the Police and other security agencies. In this regard, ground operations supported by air assets have resulted in several terrorists being neutralized including a notorious terrorist, Alhaji Shanono with 20 of his gang members with weapons and equipment destroyed while other suspected terrorists were arrested.
“Additionally, large quantities of weapons, vehicles and equipment were recovered while 53 kidnapped civilians were rescued.
“By far, the most notable operational achievement in the South-South zone during the period under review was the prevention of crude oil theft worth more than $500 million, over the past
few months.
“The encounter of Motor Tanker HEROIC DUN with Nigerian Navy Ship GONGOLA in Akpo Oil Field, Deep Offshore Bonny waters, is well known to you because a Press Conference was held in this regards.”
The Minister assured that the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces in conjunction with other security agencies remain committed and resolute in their collective efforts to facilitate the
federal government’s drive of guaranteeing the safety of lives and properties across the country.
Also giving progress reports on the agencies under his supervision, Minister of Interior, Aregbesola, affirmed that the country continues to be faced with security challenges, which he said preceded the present administration.
He stated: “The nation has faced and continues to face security challenges all over the country, whose origin mostly preceded the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“These are insurgents in the North East, bandits in parts of the North West and North Central, militants in the South-South, separatists in the South East and ritual killers in the South West.
“All over the country, we have constant attacks on pipelines, electricity cables and other critical national infrastructure, crude and refined oil theft, kidnapping for ransom and farmers-herders clashes. The security agencies rose to this challenge and largely degraded the groups and persons constituting the threats.
“What we face mostly are flashes of cowardly attacks from the rumps of groups that have been routed in one location, moving to another to give a false impression that they are still strong.
“Our ultimate goal is to eliminate them altogether and restore total and lasting peace over every inch of Nigerian soil. We have been doing this and will continue to do so through the operations of the four agencies under the Ministry.”
Aregbesola said in the course of its operation from January 2022 till date, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) made 501 arrests, and prosecuted 452 cases, out of which 49 resulted in convictions. It has also destroyed 71 illegal refineries.
He said in its bid to regulate and standardise the operations of private security companies, this year alone, it has licenced 62 new companies while 41 applications are pending.
According to him, the Corps sealed 82 companies that did not live up to standard and unsealed 40 that complied. A total of 587 licences have been renewed within the same period while the Corps continues to gather intelligence and share it with the relevant agencies and institutions.
The Minister said the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has enabled a modern border management tool, the Migration Information and Data Analysis System (MIDAS) across the nation’s major airports, and sea and land borders.
He explained that this has enabled the Service to maintain robust demographic and psychographic data of all entries into or exits from the country at any given point in time.
The Minister revealed that in 2021, total passenger movement was 1,579,667 made up of arrival by land, 163,091, air 993,508 and sea 195,219 while departure by land was 177,352, by air 1,093,518 and sea 88,459.
Within the same period, 148,711 applications for Nigerian visas were received, out of which 147,030 were approved while 1,681 applications were rejected.
According to him, as part of efforts to improve Foreign Direct Investments, the NIS introduced the National Visa Policy document (NVP 2020) with features, which enabled the it to develop the biometric visa with some peculiar elements for enhanced data collection from holders.
On the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Aregbesola said it has been able to keep the inmates in safe custody and prevented any jailbreak from inside.
He added: “Although a few of the custodial centres of recent have suffered a spate of unprovoked but cowardly attacks, thankfully, that is clearly behind us now. We have been able to strengthen the custodial facilities with very tough measures. They are now strong, well-fortified and impregnable. If anyone or a group dares to test our will now, they may not live to regret it.
“There are a total of 75,601 inmates, including 1,271 military detainees, in all the nation’s custodial centres. These are made up of 74,044 males and 1,557 females. Of this figure, only 19,064 (representing 25 per cent) are convicts. The rest are awaiting trial persons. Of the convicts, 3,150 are on death row waiting for execution because state governors have not assented to their execution warrants.
“From the above figures, one of the biggest challenges we have in the custodial facilities, therefore, is the awaiting trial persons constituting a whopping 75 per cent of the inmate’s population and disproportionately usurping resources and space. Once again, I will like to appeal to state governments to speed up the justice delivery system so that justice will be quickly delivered to them.
“Many of them have been in detention for periods longer than the maximum jail terms prescribed for the offences they were alleged to have committed. Justice delayed for these detainees is justice denied.
“Prosecution and defence counsel also deliberately ask for long adjournments as delay tactics meant to wear each other out and obtain advantage for their sides. This should be discouraged. There should be a judicial reform that will bring all criminal cases to an end within a specific period once the trial begins, as obtained in some other countries.
“This will clearly eliminate the unsavoury state of long and seemingly indeterminate detention periods for awaiting trial persons.”
The minister noted that the NCoS has been able to keep the inmates in safe custody through the implementation of reformation and rehabilitation programmes to enhance the reintegration of inmates back into society.
“As we speak, there are 1,082 registered students in our various custodial centres studying for Ordinary Level GCE, degree and postgraduate degree courses. Five of them are studying for PhD We have also recorded 74-degree course graduates.
The NCoS has thus contributed significantly to national security by taking offenders into lawful custody and preparing them to be better citizens,” he added.
He disclosed that the Federal Fire Service (FFS) has been better equipped to enable it to carry out its mandate more effectively, which he said has saved 185 lives, rescued 83 people and salvaged property worth N273.7 billion.
Aregbesola said that the greatest challenge facing the FFS are onlookers at scenes of the fire incidents, noting that the government is putting together armed escorts to accompany firefighting trucks to fire scenes to deter these elements.
With the Information Minister at the press conference were the Ministers of Defence Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd); Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor.
