The Chief of Army Staff , Lt Gen Tukur Buratai has disclosed that 99 per cent of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers operating in the country are Nigerians.
This is even as he appealed to the media to stop projecting the activities of bandits and terrorists.
Buratai spoke to State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja .
According to him, the totality of the people’s effort must be put in to the fight to see that insecurity in the country is reduced to the barest minimum.
He said “as to whether banditry, terrorism and so on will end, I think it all depends. If Nigerians want it to end today, I can assure you it will end today if everybody joins hands because these bandits are not outside Nigeria, they are not from foreign land.
“These terrorists, 99 percent of them are Nigerians. These kidnappers I will say 100 percent 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.
The Army Chief appealed to the media not to escalate the situation through reportage, giving prominence to the bandits, terrorists activities.
“This will go along way in weakening them. You know for the criminals publicity is their oxygen, without that publicity they will be ineffective. Couple with our efforts in the military and security agencies we will do everything possible to get rid of these criminals,” he added .
Buratai also said he came to brief President Buhari on the task he gave him which he has accomplished one aspect of the task .
“And to brief him on our operations, especially operations Sahel sanity in the northwest and of course the ongoing operations in northeast and other security issues, that pertains to the Nigerian army actually.
“I briefed him on the efforts going on in the northwest, we have seized the initiative. The security situation I assure you is under control and is not like what use to happen a month or two ago. We are working very hard and the troops are doing very well and I commend them for the efforts they have put in so far.
“This include the kinetic and the non-kinetic aspect of our exercise Sahel Sanity. We are there fully supporting operation Hadarin Daji, which is a join operation of the armed offices and the security agencies’’.
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