By Ukpono Ukpong with Agency report
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola has assured Nigerians that the insecurity bedeviling the country would be over by December.
Aregbesola gave the assurance when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.
The minster said that President Muhammadu Buhari had given December deadline for the security forces to restore order and stability in all parts of the country.
Aregbesola quoted Buhari as saying that he would not leave the country without curtailing and effectively addressing the security challenges.
“He gave the deadline of total elimination of such threat to the security of lives and property by December.
“I believe that nobody is resting in all the arms of government with the mandate of maintaining law and order, guaranteeing security and eliminating threats.
“We are at it, and in the first instance, we must ask ourselves, governance is about ensuring security of lives and properties.
“We will eliminate all insecurity issues by December.
“If you look at the state of affairs in Nigeria, I’ll tell you that a whole lot of progress had been made over the years, ” he said.
Aregbesola recalled that before 2015, Nigerians were living with bombs everywhere.
The minister, however, said that the government had completely eliminated the incidence of Improvised Explosive Device and Nigerians no longer have such fears.
“There was a time when the northeastern part of the country was a daily record of one dastardly act or the other and the entire region was under siege of the insurgents.
“To God be the glory, that today it is no longer there and lives had since returned to the region, that people even want to forget that there was a theatre of blood chilling insurgency,” he said.
Argebesola attributed the spread banditry and kidnapping in some sections of the country, partly to the dislodging of the terrorists in the North-East.
“Militancy in the southeastern part of the country, and South-South, cultism, in the South West; but by and large, we have tamed considerably the level, the incidences and the threats to lives and property in Nigeria.
“However, we could do better no doubt, and that is why the President has given us all in the security arm of government the deadline.
“We are all now up on our heels and toes addressing vigorously such threats and I can assure us all that we will get there.
“Nigerians will definitely heave a sigh of relief at the end of the day,” the interior minister said.
Aregbesola also urged Nigerians to report suspicious activities that could affect the security of lives and property, so as to help tackle the various security challenges facing the country.
The minister said that Nigerians must appreciate that governance was not a hand out, but a participatory and inclusive process.
He said that the current security challenges in the country have international dimensions.
“Everyone is involved in the general consequence of the global economic challenges from the pandemic to all other socio-economic, political crisis worldwide,” he added.
According to him, Nigerians must factor those issues while appraising the government’s response to the security situation in the country.
“So, we must all be part of the process to guarantee peace for all of us.
“If you do not report suspicious activities then definitely you are undermining your own security.
“Nigerians are expected to support government by getting involved, being vigilant, by appraising, notifying reporting and monitoring activities that are suspicious in and around their environment.
“Security management is a pyramid and at the very base are people and it grows up to the apex which is the commander-in-chief, under him are all the institutions guaranteeing peace and security.
“So, we all must be involved, as all of us are required to play a role in ensuring rule of law, peace and security”, he said.
Aregbesola said government was not leaving any stone unturned in its determination to ensure that rule of law prevailed, lives and property were secured and a peaceful society evolved.
The Interior Minister also said recurring oil theft and pipeline vandalism have negatively impacted on Nigeria’s economy.
He said it was binding on well-meaning Nigerians to protect the nation’s Critical Assets and Infrastructure.
“It is now a national duty if not an emergency, because it is impacting so badly on our revenue and economy,” the minister said.
According to him, the interior ministry is working with other agencies to eliminate threats to pipelines across the country.
“We are working together with other security agencies to eliminate, reduce, if not totally eliminate threats to our installations of oil pipelines,” he added.
He said that the ministry was not taking the issue of vandalism softly, as it had taken steps to strengthen the capacity of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
“We are pursuing and strengthening our own service that is engaged in the protection of critical national assets, which includes oil pipelines.
“Nigerians must know that we are up to the task and we are not leaving any stone unturned because we are committed.
“Last month, I inaugurated six armored gun boats to enhance the capacity of NSCDC’s work.
“The Corps Anti-Vandalism Unit was also recently disbanded and reformed”, he said.
According to the minister, oil is the nation’s life line, as such oil theft is a great danger to the nation’s economy and environment.
Speaking further, the Interior Minister revealed that the Federal Government has declared all correctional facilities across the country red zones, following incessant attacks and jail breaks in recent times.
Aregbesola said that the service now conducts periodic simulation exercises of attacks and responses in the most risky facilities in the country.
He said that the service was also doing its best to prepare the operatives to respond to any such attack.
“Before Kuje attack, regrettably, that was not done, but since the attack, we now have what we call periodic simulation of attack and response.
“So with that, I still want to say those who want to test our will might not live to tell the story.
“As far as humanly possible, we are improving, we are learning everyday from our weaknesses and we are overcoming.
“We declared all our centres as red zones that whoever attempted to breach them will be risking his life, we still maintain that and we are reinforcing,” he said.
Aregbesola said, that Kuje correctional center was not breached for lack of security, stressing that Kuje had the best security even at the time it was breached.
He said that the service was improving on its weaknesses that led to the breach of the most fortified custodial facility in Nigeria.
The minister said the Nigeria Correctional Service now has the backing of high powered armed agencies to support in defending the facilities.
According to him, the support of other armed security agencies will help to contain threats to custodial centres.
“Our facilities are now war fronts from what you have seen. We can no longer assume that threat to security in our facilities can only come from within as it used to be.
“Providing stations and bases to supportive armed agencies is to build up the security of our facilities,” he said.
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