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From Juliana Taiwo- Obalonye, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, endorsed recommendation on setting up an African Standby Force on Terrorism, while calling on leaders to muster the political will that will fuel synergy, enhance intelligence gathering and bring more urgency in tackling violent crimes.
He regretted that the resources meant for development of countries had been channeled into fighting violent crimes, leaving many governments with less option on investing in people to meet the targets of Sustainable Development Goals.
According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari said this while speaking at the 16th African Union Extra-ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union on Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa.
Following presentation of a report on Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Africa at the meeting, President Buhari highlighted four items on the recommendation for immediate action.
“In the West African region, we are working very hard through the instrumentality of ECOWAS to com- bat terrorism. The Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad region and the G5 in the Sahel have continued to degrade the insurgents by substantially reducing their capacity to inflict harm on our citizens.
“Mr. Chairman, these efforts, however, need to be strengthened and complemented by the African Union, through the African Union Peace and Security Architecture.
