Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi, says President Bola Tinubu has ordered the military to ensure the security of every part of the country while making huge investments to modernise defence and intelligence capabilities.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, Malagi said the President had given clear instructions to the armed forces to guarantee the safety of all Nigerians. “The President’s directive is unequivocal to the armed forces. He said that every inch of the Nigerian territory must be secured and every citizen must live free of fear wherever they may find themselves in this country,” the minister stated.
He said the President’s recent overhaul of the military command structure reflects his determination to strengthen the country’s security architecture. “The recent change in service chiefs by the President, which, by the way, happened even before his resignation by the United States of America, and the subsequent realignment within the armed forces of Nigeria and other security agencies reflect President Bola Tinubu’s determination to reinvigorate Nigerian security architecture,” Malagi said.
According to him, the government has made “multi-million dollar investments in modernized equipment for our security agencies and has increased the defence and security budget to ensure that they carry their duty more efficiently.”
The minister said the administration’s efforts have yielded results, with a sharp decline in terror incidents across the country. “In March this year, a report by the Global Terrorism Index indicated that terrorist attacks were at their lowest in over a decade in Nigeria,” he noted.
He disclosed that “in the last eight months, the Nigerian military, like I said, has neutralized over 592 terrorists in Borno State alone. Many of them have been sent to their own world beyond.” He added that “over 11,200 hostages have been freed. 11,200 hostages and this is still going on. More importantly, over 124 insurgents and their families have surrendered.”
Malagi explained that the gains cut across several regions. “In the southeastern part of the country, terror attacks have been reduced by almost 80% in the last two years through the joint effort of our security agencies,” he said, adding that “in the North Central, many of these criminal elements have been neutralized. Many arrests have been made.”
The minister further revealed that “the government is ratcheting up its efforts to ensure that more robust security in the North Central is provided as new threats continue to emerge.”
He said the arrest of two notorious terrorism suspects marked a significant milestone in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism operations. “The arrests of these people have marked a turning point in our ongoing operations against terrorism,” he said, referring to Mahmoud Mohamed Ousmane and Abubakar Abba, described as leaders of the al-Qaeda affiliate Ansarul.
Malagi reiterated the government’s resolve to ensure that justice is served to all perpetrators of terror. “We shall continue to make the suspects accountable for disrupting the peace of our country in consonance with the rule of law,” he said. “The federal government will not relent until the remnants of these criminal elements and perpetrators are permanently removed from our country.”
He also confirmed ongoing security collaboration with the United States and other international partners. “Procurement between Nigeria and the United States of America has increased year to year, in every way, with a dozen supply-to-cannon aircraft, which have been a tremendous impact in the anti-insurgency fight, with another dozen AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters in the process of being acquired by the Nigerian Air Force.”
Malagi said President Tinubu remains committed to securing the nation while improving the economy and governance. “The President’s administration remains faithful and committed to his duty of securing our nation and its people,” he said.
“We want to assure Nigeria and Nigerians that the country is indeed in capable and steady hands under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is leading the charge to boost our economy, to strengthen our military and intelligence capabilities and lead the country towards greater and shared prosperity for everyone.”
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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