Insecurity: Military combat not sufficient to end terrorism in North West — Shettima

…FG to adopt multidimensional approach

…Service Chiefs to face House of Reps for screening today

Following incessant security waves troubling the Country, the federal government has declared that the military combat is not sufficient to end terrorism in the North West.

Nigerian NewsDirect gathered that the new measures which will be announced in the coming weeks will be a blend of both kinetic and non kinetic approaches as his government considers military operations have become insufficient to tackle the hard headed problem.

Earlier, a former Governor of Zamfara state said that President Bola Tinubu may dialogue with bandits in a bid to restore lasting peace and security to the country.

Yerima said this to journalists after meeting with President Tinubu some weeks ago.

According to the Vice President, Kashim Shettima in Kano while addressing newsmen after a condolence visit over the weekend, the President would declare the two phased dimensional approach of kinetic and non kinetic appeals to address the problem, particularly in the North West geopolitical zone.

The Vice President noted that the insecurity problems in the region is associated with poverty and social exclusion which he disclosed President Tinubu’s measure would capture, giving recourse to the root causes of all the banditry and insurgency in the region.

The Vice President argued that it would only amount to “an endless war of attrition” without blending kinetic and non kinetic solutions, mentioning that “there cannot be a military solution to the crises in the North West·”

“The president is determined to redefine the meaning and concept of modern governance.

“And the crises we have in the North West, further associated with poverty and social exclusion is something that the president is determined to confront.

“In the coming weeks he is coming up and is going to unveil the ‘Fulaku’ solution.

“Unless we want to engage in an endless war of attrition, there cannot be a military solution to the crises in the North West, there has to be a kinetic and non kinetic solution.

“President Bola Tinubu in the next couple of weeks will unveil the ‘Fulaku’ solution which will address the grievances and the social exclusion of our Fulani cousins in the North West,” he said.

“He was addressing the root causes of all the banditry and insurgency in the region,” Shettima said.

Service Chiefs to face House of Reps for screening today

Meanwhile, the new Service Chiefs earlier appointed by President Tinubu last month, will today face the adhoc committee of the House of Representatives for their screening.

It would be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had last week written to the Speaker of the lower chamber, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, requesting the House to screen the appointees following the immediate retirement of the former Service Chiefs, the ex-Inspector-General of Police and the ex-Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service on June 19.

The Speaker had consequently set up the Committee headed by the Chairman of the Committee on Defence in the 9th House, Rep. Babajimi Benson (APC, Lagos).

Abbas had also announced all the eight principal officers of the House from the majority and minority parties as a part of the ad-hoc committee.

The new Service Chiefs to face the House for screening include: Maj. Gen. C.G Musa as Chief of Defence Staff; Maj. Gen. T. A. Lagbaja as Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral E. A. Ogalla as Chief of Naval Staff and Air Vice Marshal H.B. Abubakar as Chief of Air Staff.

Recently, reports of gory attacks have not ceased. In a fresh wave of attacks on Sunday night, July 09, assailants killed at least eight persons including an eight-month-old infant, in Farin Lamba, a community in Vwang District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The gory incident came two days after another attack on Sabon Gari, a community in Mangu Local Government of the State, left several persons dead and houses burnt. Spokesperson of Berom Youth Moulders, Rwang Tengwong, had said the attackers arrived in a Vectra vehicle at about 9:45 p.m. and shot sporadically; killing at least eight and injuring many more.

In response to the killings, President Tinubu in a statement titled ‘Plateau killings: we must break this cycle of violence,’ had expressed sadness and grief over the incident, condemning the killings in Mangu and parts of Benue State.

President  Tinubu, who on Tuesday in Abuja, described as “unfortunate” the killing of the eight-month-old infant in the recent violence in Plateau and Benue states, North-Central, Nigeria, had directed security agencies to fish out the masterminds of the killings, insisting that they be made to face the full wrath of the law.

“It is most unfortunate that in this orgy of violence, an innocent eight-month-old baby in Farin Lamba community of Vwang District, Jos South Local Government, died in a conflict she knew nothing about,” a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, Dele Alake, read on Tuesday. The President who described the festering reprisal attacks as “needless and “avoidable” said, “A major consequence of perennial conflict is always the tragic loss of innocent lives.”

“To build virile, peaceful, and prosperous communities demand tolerance and forgiveness for every perceived wrongdoing,” he added.

To rebuild trust and restore harmony to these conflict areas, President Tinubu had urged community leaders, religious leaders, traditional rulers, socio-cultural organisations as well as the leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Jama’atu Nasril Islam, and the Christian Association of Nigeria to work together to help foster genuine and long-lasting peace.

Recall that Tinubu had in his inaugural speech mentioned security would take top priority of his government.

Following the spree of recent killings, Tinubu while reaffirming his government’s strong determination to stamp out violent crimes and all forms of criminalities everywhere in Nigeria,  has directed security agencies “to fish out the masterminds of the dastardly acts to face the full wrath of the law.”

Recall that Tinubu had in June replaced all the Security Chiefs in the Country. The development was greeted with much expectations and demands placed on them. The Security Chiefs had repeatedly in various fora pledged and promised service to duty to fulfill the thrust of the mandate placed on them. Tinubu had demanded nothing but results from them, charging them to work as a team, while giving no room for excuse for failure.