Worried by the security lapses in Nigeria, especially in the South East, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday ordered that “something needs to be done to arrest the situation as soon as possible.”
President Jonathan issued his directive at a meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at which the security situation in the country, especially the spate of kidnapping in the South East geopolitical zone, was discussed.
Expressing sadness at the situation, President Jonathan said that more efforts should be geared towards fighting the kidnapping saga in the South-East.
Briefing journalists shortly after the meeting, the Minister of Information and Communications, Professor Dora Akunyili, said “The Governors of the South East are already working hard to ensure that this menace is curtailed to the barest minimum, or totally eradicated because it is unacceptable for any human being to pick a fellow human being in the name of kidnapping and demand for ransom.”
She said that the meeting also called on all the communities where security had become an issue to cooperate with security agencies already undertaking operations in those areas ‘to fish out the criminals wherever they may be hiding and deal with the situation decisively”.
Accompanied by her Minister of State, Mr. Labaran Maku, Professor Akunyili told journalists that “reports were presented on the security situation in Nigeria and the Minister of Police Affairs reported efforts being made to ameliorate the situation.
“The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) also reported that there is improved security in Abuja in the last three months,” Akunyili disclosed.
Maku added “Because the issue of kidnapping is disrupting the normal life and commercial activities in some parts of those States, government cannot stay back and watch criminals take over the entire situation in those States.
“So, government is undertaking joint security operations to identify the camps,know where those people are staying and this cannot be done by security agencies alone. The entire communities, especially state governments, local governments,traditional rulers, community organisations should cooperate.
“These criminals are not ghosts. They come from amongst our communities. They don’t come from outside. So, if the public can cooperate and give sensitive information to security agencies, it will help these security agencies to cordon off some of these camps and flush out those who are engaged in these criminal activities.
“This is a very serious matter because without peace and security we cannot develop and nothing can be done properly.”
The Council also congratulated President Jonathan on the conferment, on him, of a new national honours — Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) — by the National Council of State on Tuesday.
The Council was also briefed on the problem of lead poisoning in some parts of Nigeria, especially in the northern Zamfara State, and efforts being made to arrest the situation.