The Nigerian government has said it is still on top of the war against bandits, despite the contrary impression being created in the public.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that there are success stories being achieved by the military in the war against terror that are not known to the media.
Mohammed spoke in response to questions on the rising insecurity at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
He blamed the media in part for the prominence given to the activities of the terrorists. The questions came on the back of recent attacks by the bandits, including the bombing of the Abuja-Kaduna train in which at least eight passengers died and an unknown number of passengers were kidnapped, while many others were injured.
There was also a reported attack on a military base in Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State, which the minister confirmed, but explained that it was quickly repelled and that many of the terrorists were killed.
“Yes, there was an attack on a military base in Kaduna state but what was not reported was the very timely and efficient manner it was repelled, and the huge casualty suffered by the bandits/terrorists. I also have a video of the area interdiction by the military.
“I keep saying that this is an asymmetrical war in which we are not in liberty only to tell you how in detail, how the camps of the bandits are being decimated daily. It is a war of attrition, but our military is living to the billing, our military is working day and night to ensure that the terrorists are neutralized.
“We will continue to give information on the progress we are making in our fight against terrorism but we can assure you that we are on top of this matter.
“But unfortunately, it is the story of second-guessing that is going on and we will continue to give relevant information on the progress we’re making in our fight against terrorism.
“But we can assure you we’re on top of this matter and in any country in the world, while we are fighting terrorists, the oxygen they need is what is being provided daily today, which is they want to occupy the front page of every paper, they want to carry out spectacular attacks even when they are down.
“This is where I think we also seek your support in understanding the mentality of terrorists, that even when they are dying, they will look for the soft underbelly that will keep them relevant, and enable them to get more money from their sponsors, more support from their sponsors.
“But clearly the last three, four, five days, the military recorded massive victories against terrorists and bandits, either in the northeast or in the Kaduna, Niger axis.”
Asked if the Federal Government was listening to Kaduna governor who said the terrorists can be tracked as they listen to their conversations, he said, “I know that Monday, there was a very successful area interjection, where scores if not hundreds of bandits/terrorists were eliminated.
“Even when we’re able to identify where the bandits are, sometimes out of fear of collateral damage to the innocent civilians, you choose the time you want to strike. But I just want to assure you that the administration is not unmindful of your anxieties and your concerns.
“But probably because we are in charge, we can assure you that there’s really, really no cause to feel that the government is overwhelmed, not at all. We are not overwhelmed and the last few days I think have confirmed that.
“But unfortunately, when we inflict these victories on the bandits for many reasons, we do not come out and say we have killed so many. Because it’s continuous.
“But very soon Nigerians would feel the impact of these victories. Already thousands in the northeast, in particular, have surrendered, we have decimated their camps, we have destroyed their equipment, destroyed their weapons.
“And two days ago, a big cache of arms was recovered including trucks from them. So the war is going on in our favour I can assure you, I can say this very, very confidently, and this is because we’ve also been very mindful of the needs of the military.
“We have provided within our very little resources, a lot of equipment to the military. We have provided about 150 MRaps, 120 trucks, and about 60 APCs to the army. In addition, we’ve employed an extra 10,000 personnel in the military. We have provided accommodation for Army.
“The Air Force, of course, it is not just the 12 Super Tucano jets that they have that is helping, we also provide them with three JFI -anti-craft fighters. And that is why they are able to give support to the ground forces.
“And this is why we are recording this kind of success. Also, the federal government has supplied the Navy with helicopters, given Eshore boats, given them 90 rigid inflatable boats, they have locally constructed seaworthy boats to fight piracy and all kinds of miscreants.
“We have also not left the police. We have taken seriously the community policing initiative of the federal government. Today, we have been able to graduate per 25,000 constabularies from the various police colleges in Nigeria. They have been trained in basic police duties, intelligence gathering and the like and they’ve been taken back and reassigned to their own local governments of origin because security is very local so that they can collect intelligence and at the same time improve police visibility.
“About 418, I think three of the academy was graduated also just increase the officer personnel of the police. In addition, we have been able to provide the police recently among other things 200 Buffalo anti-virus Medical equipment.
“In addition to also looking at their welfare. In terms of welfare, we’ve reviewed and jacked up police salary by 20%. We have also given a waiver for the junior staff from paying income, and tax we have also employed another 10,000 to boost their personnel.
“So, this is why we are confident that in a matter of time, we will overcome the terrorists and bandits and criminals all around. But far from being overwhelmed, I think we are in control.”
