The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has come under severe criticism for saying the Federal Government and its security agents have the capacity to crush insurgents, bandits, criminals and enemies of the country.
The Minister at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, also debunked the belief that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is overwhelmed by the current high level of insecurity in the country, adding that in both personnel and equipment, the government has what it takes to tackle insecurity.
He said at the press conference: “It is no longer news that our dear nation is facing security challenges. However, I have read comments saying the Federal Government is overwhelmed and doesn’t have a clue as to how to tackle the challenges. Some have even gone as far as suggesting a truncation of the democratic order, a clearly treasonable stance.
“Well, I am here today to assure all Nigerians that while the government acknowledges the security challenges we face at this time, from terrorism to kidnapping, banditry and farmer-herder conflict, it is definitely not overwhelmed and indeed it has the wherewithal, as you will see in the days ahead, to confront the challenges headlong and restore law and order, peace and security.
One of the most difficult things to do, for a democratically-elected government, is to use the instruments of coercion against its own people. For example, while the nation’s military have superior firepower over the rag tag band of Boko Haram and ISWAP, the terrorists most often than not operate among the populace, either in our villages or towns, hence the military, in tackling them, is usually careful to avoid collateral damage. The same applies to the kidnappers who abduct our school children.
“Usually, the location of the kidnappers is not unknown to the security forces, but they still have to exercise caution in order not to hurt the same children they are trying to rescue. Despite these inhibitions, the security forces have the wherewithal to decisively tackle the challenges.
For the avoidance of doubt, the government retains total confidence in the ability of our security forces to tackle the security challenges we are facing now, whether it is terrorism, banditry, kidnapping or even the farmer-herder conflict.
We, therefore, appeal to all Nigerians to continue to support our security agencies, who today face the added task of having to watch their backs while working to protect us. The least we can do is to give them our unalloyed support.”
Mohammed, who also described attacks on security agencies in the South-East and the South-South geopolitical zones of the country as a declaration of war against the country, has, however, come under fire for his comments at the press conference, especially from Nigerians on social media.
While some outrightly dismissed the minister’s words as another of his usual way of diverting attention from the real issues at stake, others outrightly wrote him off. Some other Nigerians on social media, however, charged the Nigerian government to demonstrate the capacity Mohammed claimed it has, to truly and without delay, crush the bandits.
