Stakeholders in the North have hailed the Marching Order given to the military by President Bola Tinubu to end banditry and general insecurity by the end of 2025.
The Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, who announced the marching order recently, said the military would continue its ongoing onslaught against the non-state actors that is yielding positive results.
“The bandits are now on the run, but the military will not rest until we end this thing. The president has given us marching orders to end insecurity in every part of our country by the end of this year.
“The Chief of Defence Staff, NSA are working day and night to actualize that target, as you have seen we are putting pressure on all the theatre operations,” Badaru said.
A cross section of citizens in North East and North West who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said the directive by Mr President is a welcome development and a relief.
They said everything possible needs to be done to tame insecurity which remains a serious threat to development in all sectors including food security.
A farmer Abubakar Ibrahim and Mohammed Kundiri in Borno, said the presidential order was a relief to them as they look forward to a more secure state to fully resume farming activities.
They said the shores of Lake Chad known as fertile area for all year farming activities but still harbours the remnants of insurgents, needed to be cleared through massive military onslaught for farming and other activities to fully resume.
“We are happy a deadline of December is given, there’s always a need for a time table to get things done.
“Rehabilitation, reconstruction and resettlement programmes are ongoing in Borno but we still face challenges from remnants of terrorists that need to be cleared,” Ibrahim said.
In Adamawa, the former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ahmad Sajoh also welcomed the presidential order to make Nigeria safe.
“It is indeed very comforting to hear the Commander in Chief issue a direct order to the troops. Flushing out bandits has multiple benefits including the restoration of productive activities such as farming and trading. That is the real import of the President’s directives.
“While expressing total support for this bold decision by the Commander in Chief, it is also necessary to advise that the President should equally give another directive for the non- kinetic component of the fight against banditry and insurgency.
“A robust public enlightenment should accompany this renewed onslaught. Issues like the role of informants, those who ferry arms and foodstuffs to the miscreants can only be addressed through public enlightenment.
“I hope that the directives will yield the desired results in the interest of the progress of the Nation,” Sajoh said.
In Zamfara, Salisu Tunga and Aminu Bello of Shinkafi Local Government Area lauded the recent successes recorded in military operations in the area and urged for renewed onslaught to finish the job in line with the president matching order.
Tunga said that the bandits are still harassing some communities in Shinkafi, raising the need for more intense military operations to complete the job.
“Up to now travellers need military escort in areas like Dansadau, Magami, Dangulbi, Zurmi, Kauran Namoda, Shinkafi, Moriki, Maradun, Maru and others as bandits are still around,” Tunga said.
He also said that some communities in Tsafe, Zurmi, and Bukkuyum Local Government Areas of Zamfara were being forced to pay levies to bandits which needed to be stopped.
In Kebbi State, the Deputy Governor, Sen. Umar Tafida, who confirmed cases of incursions by bandits from neighbouring states and Niger Republic, said adequate measures are being taken to contain the threats.
Tafida said the order from Tinubu is a good development that would help in consolidating security measures against the threats.
The Director in-charge of Security at Cabinet Office in Kebbi, Alhaji AbdulRahman Usman, who also welcomed the development, said it would consolidate peace in the state.
According to him, there’s no more Lakurawa terrorists camps in the state
“They used to attack Argungu, Augie and Arewa Local Government Areas but have been chased away and dealt with,” Usman said.
In Sokoto, Col. Ahmad Usman Rtd, the Special Adviser to Gov. Ahmad Aliyu on Security Matters, lauded the Presidential directives and expressed hope for fruitful results.
He said there were ongoing military operations in the state that keep yielding results.
”Many terrorist enclaves were identified and destroyed, with several bandits neutralized, hundreds of kidnapped victims are also being rescued in the ongoing operations,” he said.
