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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, announced a renewed determination to totally crackdown on criminals as he unveiled plans to rejig the country’s security apparatus.
He said arrangements were ongoing to employ multi-pronged measures, including deployment of technology to boost security of lives and properties in the geopolitical zone.
Part of the plan, he said, was the recent promotion in the army.
The president spoke when he received the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who led a delegation of Yoruba Obas to the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.
He told the rulers that already he had directed a reshuffle in the army where Lamidi Adeosun was promoted to lieutenant general and deployed as the army’s Chief of Policy and Plans.
The government, he announced, will continue to carry out changes in the army, where necessary, so as to boost the morale of the troops engaged in various security assignments across the country.
“I believe you are aware that there is a reshuffle in the Army, including the promotion and deployment of Lt.-Gen. Lamidi Adeosun as the Nigerian Army’s Chief of Policy and Plans.
“This is done in order to reinvigorate and re-energise our troops to do more.
“There will be further reviews where necessary for maximum performance,’’ he said.
He said government will equally continue to bring in the military when needed to complement the work of the police including the possible deployment of troops on certain highways on a temporary basis.
He stated that the government would also encourage the use of the Air Force assets to bomb hideouts where criminals are located.
While admitting that these measures were inter-related and have to be well-coordinated, he stressed that “the speedy implementation of community policing will facilitate a more effective collection of intelligence.
Also in his verified twitter handle @MBuhari, he said while drones will be deployed to fast-track the monitoring of the forests, CCTVs will be mounted along highways to monitor security activities in the region.
The president wrote: “We are expediting commencement of our community policing initiative, and revamping police intelligence gathering capacity.”
“Our community Policing reform means we will be boosting the numbers of security personnel — and very importantly recruiting police officers from their Local Government Areas (LGAs), and stationing them there.”
“I will be issuing directives to the appropriate federal authorities to speedily approve licensing for states requesting the use of drones to monitor forests and other criminal hideouts.”
“We also intend to install CCTVs on highways and other strategic locations so that activities in some of those hidden places can be exposed, more effectively monitored and open to actionable review.”
“Working with the state governments, we will equip the police force with advanced technology and equipment to facilitate their work. We will continue to bring in our military when needed to complement the work of the police, including possible deployment of troops on certain highways on a temporary basis, and the use of Nigerian Air Force assets to bomb hideouts where criminals are located.”
“I want to assure all Nigerians that we will enforce the law, prosecute lawbreakers and secure an atmosphere of tranquillity for all Nigerians wherever they choose to live. This is both in our interests as an administration and the interests of the people who voted us into office. We acknowledge the need for security to deliver on our many programmes to the people. Indeed there can be no prosperity if there is no security. This is not only a message of hope but a call to action to all of us as we seek ways to secure our country.”
Ooni of Ife also spoke to State House Correspondents after the meeting. On the call for the Fulanis to leave Southwest, he replied: “Well, it’s because of the tension but this time around the traditional rulers have arrived at a resolution to ensure that will not happen. It is the bad ones that should be focused on. We all live in Nigeria, it’s the bad ones that have come in from different borders that are porous, those are the ones we will focus on to separate the corn from wheat.
“We’re staying the bad ones that should leave, the bad ones can never stay, even Mr. President is with us on that. Even the Fulani clan do not want the bad ones to spoil their name. So many people are hiding under Fulanis to do evil now, so the bad ones must go.”
