The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the worst was over as the government had now put the terrorists, bandits and their ilk on the run.
He said the current security challenges facing the country had been very daunting, from terrorism to banditry, kidnapping, separatist violence, crude oil theft, armed robbery and sundry crimes.
According to him, “It’s undoubtedly the greatest challenge to the peace and security of our great nation since the civil war from 1967 to 1970.
“It is the kind of challenge that would have overwhelmed many nations, but thanks to the purposeful leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. We can say, I want to repeat that the worst is over and peace and security are gradually returning to the land.
“Please don’t misunderstand or misrepresent this assertion. We may still witness isolated cases of security challenges here and there, but it’ll not be on the scale that we have witnessed in the past.
“Terrorists and bandits and co can run but cannot hide, and this has been demonstrated by the arrest of those who attacked a church in Owo. These criminals can run, but cannot hide, as we’ve seen in the decimation of the cowards who ambushed the Brigade of Guards troops in Abuja.”
He stressed the government was “Not saying the battle is over. No. What we’re saying is that our military and other security agents have been able to contain the daunting security challenges we face and that the worst is indeed over. We have now put the terrorists, bandits and their ilk on the run and we will not relent until they have been crushed.”
Mohammed appealed to all Nigerians to continue to support the security agencies in their onerous task of keeping the country safe.
“We must also realise that security is the business of everyone, hence the tagline ‘if you see something, say something.’ Terrorists or bandits are not spirits. They’re human beings, and some of them reside in our communities. They must all be exposed and crushed for peace to reign.”
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