President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday scored himself high on the fight against insecurity, saying his administration has done its best in tackling the Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast of the country.
The president said this in an interview with State House correspondents when he, his family members and some top-ranking government officials observed the Eid El-Kabir prayers inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“I want Nigerians to be very conscious of their country and what we inherited when we came in 2015 was Boko Haram – North East and the militants, the South-South. Nigerians know that we have done our best.
“What is coming up in the North West and North Central is very disturbing indeed but I believe the military, the police, and other law enforcement agencies from the report I am getting, I think 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.”
Buhari’s claim is coming two days after Boko Haram insurgents attacked Borno State governor, Babagana Zulum and his entourage on his way to distribute food items to people displaced by the war against the insurgency in the state.
Zulum was attacked shortly after inspecting a guard of honour mounted for him by the soldiers at Kukawa near Baga in Borno, where he was headed. He was shielded by soldiers who shepherded him to a vehicle.
Zulum blamed the attack on sabotage by the military, declaring that the attack was not from Boko Haram.
Buhari noted however that he inherited the security challenges from the previous administration.
In a statement issued by Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity he quoted Buhari as giving assurances that government would provide more resources for the military, police, and other security agencies to deal with the security challenges in some parts of the country.
Shehu said Buhari described the situation, especially in the North West and the North Central parts of the country as “very disturbing.”
He further quoted Buhari as saying that while much had been achieved, security-wise, from the situation he inherited in 2015, more still needed to be done.
The Senate last week passed a resolution asking the service chiefs to step aside, citing the increasing number of attacks in Nigeria, including killings, kidnapping and other violent attacks.
However, Shehu said the President scored the service chiefs highly.
“Responding to a specific question on the performance of the service chiefs which recently, he said needed to get better, the President said that the military, the police, and other security agencies are working hard,” he said.
