Sallah: Buhari Laments Insecurity In North East |The Source

By Fola James

In the face of killings by armed bandits, Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen in some parts of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari said his administration has done its best to provide security for Nigerians.

The president made this comment in his Sallah message to Nigerians, barely 24 hours after the governor of Borno state, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, escaped by the whiskers, an ambush by suspected Boko Haram insurgents in Baga, a suburb of the state.

Few days ago, suspected Fulani criminals also attacked Southern Kaduna, killing scores of persons, including women and children; some in their sleep and security agencies are still struggling to bring peace to the restive communities.

But speaking with journalists after observing the Eid El Kabir prayers with his family and some top government officials in Aso Viila, President Buhari boasted that the security situation has improved compared to when he first came to office five years ago.

His administration is still working hard to make sure that security situation gets better, he said.

Buhari said Nigerians should remember that what “we inherited when we came in 2015 was Boko Haram in the north-east and the militancy in the south-south… Nigerians know that we have done our best.”

The president said more needed to be done.

According to him “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.”

Meanwhile, President has directed security agencies to root out all manner of criminalities in the country, according to a statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the president on Media and Publicity.

The statement said “He (the President) said considering the security situation on ground when he came to office, ‘Nigerians know that we have done our best. However, what is coming out of the North West and the North Central is very disturbing’ Shehu said in a statement.

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.

We are making available resources to them to even do better,” he assured, adding that “from the reports I am getting, 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.”

During the attack on his convoy on Thursday in Baga, Governor Zulum lashed out at the Nigerian Army, for failure to provide security in the state.

He threatened that his government will enlist local armed groups to fight Boko Haram if the Nigerian Military cannot do the job.