FG not overwhelmed by security challenges, can restore peace- Lai Mohammed

 FG not overwhelmed by security challenges, can restore peace- Lai Mohammed

By Modupe Shodeinde

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said the Federal government is not clueless as to finding a lasting solution to handle the alarming rate of insecurity in many parts of the country.

The minister in a statement released, after a press conference in Lagos on Friday, May 11, stated that the federal government had the ability to “confront the challenges headlong and restore law and order, peace and security.”

“It is no longer news that our dear nation is facing security challenges. However, I have read comments saying the Federal Government is overwhelmed and doesn’t have a clue as to how to tackle the challenges. Some have even gone as far as suggesting a truncation of the democratic order, a clearly treasonable stance.

“Well, I am here today to assure all Nigerians that while the government acknowledges the security challenges we face at this time, from terrorism to kidnapping, banditry and farmer-herder conflict, it is definitely not overwhelmed and indeed it has the wherewithal, as you will see in the days ahead, to confront the challenges headlong and restore law and order, peace and security.”

Mohammed also explained that the government indeed knew the locations of kidnappers, adding that security agencies were only being careful to avoid civilian casualties.

“One of the most difficult things to do, for a democratically-elected government, is to use the instruments of coercion against its own people. For example, while the nation’s military have superior firepower over the rag tag band of Boko Haram and ISWA, the terrorists most often than not operate among the populace, either in our villages or towns, hence the military, in tackling them, is usually careful to avoid collateral damage.

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The same applies to the kidnappers who abduct our school children. Usually, the location of the kidnappers is not unknown to security forces, but they still have to exercise caution in order not to hurt the same children they are trying to rescue. Despite these inhibitions, the security forces have the wherewithal to decisively tackle the challenges” he said

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