The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, says terrorism, banditry, insurgency, kidnapping, and other security challenges can end sooner than expected in the country if all Nigerians offer their support to the military and other security agencies.
Buratai, who said this on Monday in an interview with State House reporters after briefing President Muhammadu Buhari on the activities of the army in the North-Western part of the country, added that giving vital information about the whereabouts and movements of insurgents and bandits would help to contain the situation.
Buratai, who said 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, lauded his men involved in the peacekeeping operation in the zone and other parts of the country for doing a good job. He voiced optimism that normalcy would soon be restored to the affected areas.
“These terrorists, 99 per cent of them are Nigerians. These kidnappers I will say 100 per cent of them are Nigerians. So, it’s not just a military, security agency task to end the insecurity in this country. It’s only when it goes bad that we are called in, but everybody has the responsibility to handle that. Some of the insecurities are as old as history itself and it all depends on what you are doing to contain or defeat it at a particular time. It is the totality of your effort that will determine the escalation or containment of the insecurity in the country.