A former Director of the Department of State Security, Mike Ejiofor, on Thursday, asked Nigerians to be more appreciative of the efforts of the Nigerian military, as their performance in recent times has shown that they have been re-engineered to take-on the Boko Haram insurgents.
“The military, as far as I’m concerned, has been re-engineered and they are taking on Boko Haram and by the grace of God, we will make success and progress in the course of fighting Boko Haram,” Ejiofor said, while addressing some security concerns, on Sunrise Daily.
In his opening remarks, the former DSS boss said that although security has posed a challenge to the nation, especially concerning insurgency, the “issue of terrorism is not peculiar to Nigeria”, and the situation is “worrisome because this has not been part of our culture”.
He also noted that although it was justifiable for the media to raise alarm about issues but warned that some news stories are unfounded.
“Much as we agree there are challenges, we must also ask Nigerians to be responsive and responsible in maintaining law and order. It’s not just to be left for security agencies alone,” he said.
Making reference to the Presidential committee set up to help victims of terrorism, he noted that the government was making efforts to cater for citizens affected by the crisis. “The government is making adequate provision for that”.
He also noted that activities of the army in past one week have defied claims that the military was not doing enough to control the insurgency.
“In the past one week (or so), you can see that the army (for instance), our security forces have been re-engineered. They are taking on Boko Haram and that is why most times you hear of casualties on both parties.”
He went further to state that “I think our military should be commended” and appreciated for their commitment and sacrifice.
“When I read that the son of the former president was shot in a cross-fire, it tells you the commitment our Armed Forces, our security forces have” he said, stating that such an incident could not have happened in any other institution.
