The All Progressives Congress Legacy Awareness and Campaign (APCLAC) says the country’s security agents are turning the tide against Boko Haram, ISWAP, bandits and other criminals .
This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Tolu Ogunlesi, a leader of the group on Thursday in Abuja.
The group noted that there had been improvements in the country’s security situation in the last few weeks. This, he said, followed the renewed resolve of security agencies to decisively deal with banditry, terrorism and all forms of criminality across the country.
He said Nigerians were greatly encouraged by the reports from the various theatres of operation across the country.
Ogunlesi said he was confident that the sacrifices of security agents and the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s investments in arming and supporting the military will not be in vain.
“It is also very important to continually acknowledge the victories and successes being recorded by our military and law enforcement agencies in the various theatres of operation across the country.
“The tide has definitely turned against Boko Haram and ISWAP in the North-East, and is turning against bandits and criminals in the North-West.
“In the South-East, relative calm has returned, and efforts are ongoing to fully neutralise the militant networks that have been troubling the region.
“In the coastal areas, the full rollout of the Deep Blue and Falcon Eye surveillance and security projects is certain to deal a strong blow on the activities of pirates and militants in the weeks and months ahead,’’ Ogunlesi said.
He emphasised that the increased pressure being brought to bear on the insurgents was responsible for the worsening infighting and factionalisation that recently resulted in the death of Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect.
The group leader said the development was equally responsible for the wave of surrenders being recorded in the region.
He recalled that more than a thousand insurgents and their families surrendered to the military in recent weeks, including two notorious Boko Haram bomb experts according to reports from Defence Headquarters.
“Several bandits’ camps and hideouts have been bombed and destroyed in the North-West, North-East and North Central.
“Recent military operations have killed more than 150 insurgents, bandits and militants across the country; large caches of weaponry and ammunition have also been seized.
“There is so much to be optimistic about as our security agencies, under the leadership of President Buhari, intensify efforts to secure every inch of the country,’’ Ogunlesi said.
He, however, noted that security challenges were best tackled by a combination of responses, which should not be limited to military action alone. According to him, what the country is witnessing today with regards to insecurity is the outcome of decades of mismanagement, embezzlement and under investment in critical security infrastructure.
He said the narrative was being reversed by the APC-led government of President Buhari as it was prioritising investments in agriculture, mining, infrastructure, and various foundational economic reforms,
“The Buhari administration is laying the foundation for a Nigeria that truly works, one that will enjoy lasting security and prosperity,’’ Ogunlesi stressed.
