President Muhammadu Buhari has renewed charges to all security agencies to double down on their response to all those challenging Nigeria’s sovereignty and creating insecurity through criminality in whatever way.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this after a Security Council meeting presided by President Buhari on Thursday at the Aso Villa in Abuja.
He told State House correspondents that the meeting which lasted more than four hours also discussed the resurgence of criminal activities along the Abuja-Kaduna Highway.
“The President said that we are not yet where we should be; that Nigerians deserve to live in peace,” the minister said. “We appreciate the fact that we are in the season of festivity.
“So, all agencies – committed to providing security for Nigerians and the maintenance of law and order – have been ordered to improve on their activities, intensify surveillance, and minimise if not eliminate totally any threat, and you will see an improved response to all those challenging the sovereignty of Nigeria in whatever form and creating insecurity in whatever form anywhere.”
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Aregbesola commended the conduct of the security agencies during the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State.
President Buhari, he stated, tasked the security agencies to intensify surveillance, patrol, and pursuit of criminals and eliminate any threat to law and order in the country.
“The Council today (Thursday) took a firm decision on what is to be done and I can assure Nigerians that with the charge from the President and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, there will be an improved response to all forms of criminality in any part of Nigeria,” the minister added.
The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo; Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (Rtd); Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, and the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), were among those present at the meeting.
Others who were physically in attendance included the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Oladayo Amao; Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Abubakar.
