Buhari ‘ll end Boko Haram, ensure safe return of IDPs – Aregbesola

Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Adesoji Aregbesola, has restated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration to continue to secure the lives and property of all Nigerians and to ensure the safe return of those who have been displaced from their communities through the activities of insurgents in the North-east.

A statement made available to Blueprint Wednesday in Abuja, by the ministry’s director of press, Mohammed Manga, said Aregbesola gave the assurance when he received a delegation from the Lake Chad Basin Commission, led by its Executive Secretary and Head of Mission, Multinational Joint Task Force, Ambassador Mamman Nuhu and his team.

According to him, “prior to the coming of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in 2015, the country was at a defining moment in her history, with acts of terrorism perpetrated by Boko Haram insurgents, which constituted an existential threat with the group occupying large swathes of territory in the North-east region and was threatening to seize more areas to consolidate its dominance and project its evil ideology.

“Besides, the economy was not only in a precarious state and soon regressed into recession, but also corruption was subverting our institutions, society, eroding public confidence in government business, thereby leaving the country in despair, bereft of self-confidence and in dire need of repositioning,” the minister  said.

Speaking further, Aregbesola said the Buhari administration promised to pursue progressive change on three fronts: these are: security, economy and the fight against corruption.

The minister said that “with the strengthening of international partnership, participation in the Multinational Joint Task Force, consolidation of collaboration with the Regional Intelligence Fusion Unit; initiating a major re-organisation of the counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operation by Operation Lafiya Dole; improved funding, procurement, operations, training, logistics as well as improved welfare for the security agencies to round up security operations across the country, the spate of crimes and criminality, Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east and other acts of kidnapping and armed banditry will soon be a thing of the past.”

Aregbesola assured further that his ministry will continue to collaborate with the Lake Chad Basin Commission in consultation and to create awareness on the Regional Stabilisation Strategy for the Stabilisation, Recovery and Resilience of the Boko Haram affected areas of the Lake Chad Basin Region with the view to ensuring improved economic development in the sub-region, historically characterised by environmental problems and worsened by repeated violence from terrorist groups.

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