Insecurity: Buhari admits more needs to be done, backs service chiefs

Buhari speaks after the Eid-el-Kabir prayers

Buhari speaks after the Eid-el-Kabir prayer

Buhari speaks after the Eid-el-Kabir prayer

President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged that his administration still needs to do more to tackle what he called ‘very disturbing’ insecurity in some parts of the country.

Buhari spoke after performing the Eid prayers with his family and aides at the forecourt of the State House, Abuja on Friday.

According to a statement by spokesman Garba Shehu, Buhari said that while much had been achieved, security wise, from the situation he inherited in 2015, more still needed to be done.

He was especially bothered by reports of security breaches from the North West ad North central parts of the country.

Kidnapping, brigandage and mindless killings of hapless villagers go on in the two zones.

Buhari said the reports emanating from the zones were very disturbing.

“Nigerians know that we have done our best. However, what is coming out of the North West and North Central is very disturbing,” Buhari was quoted to have said.

He promised to make available more more resources for the country’s military, police and other security agencies to deal with the very disturbing security situation.

However, he was still unbending about sacking his security chiefs despite the fatal lapses.

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He spoke in their defence, although recently he charged them to get better.

According to Buhari, the Military, the Police and other security agencies are working hard.

“We are making available resources to them to even do better,” he assured, adding that “from the reports I am getting, they could do much better…they could do much better. But we are keeping them on the alert all the time to do their duties.”

On the issue of corruption, President Buhari said that all past and present cases will be fully investigated.

“This is why we put the commission (of investigation) in place. There has been abuse of trust by people trusted by the previous administration and this administration,” he said, stressing that all of such cases will be uncovered and firmly dealt with by his government.

On the specific case of the Niger Delta, the President decried the wastage of the resources earmarked for the betterment of the lives of the people of that region, lamenting that corruption had been unhelpful in that regard, especially “if you recall there is the 13 per cent derivation.”

He also warned against the vandalisation of oil pipelines in the oil- producing areas which often results in environmental pollution.

“Those who are blowing pipelines and interfering with the production of petroleum products are hurting their people more than the rest of Nigerians because majority of their people are fishermen, fisherwomen and farmers.

“Now if they pollute the land and the waters, the fish goes into the deeper sea where the people cannot go and they cannot grow anything. They are hurting their immediate communities more than any other thing,” the President further noted.

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