…As ONSA seeks multi-stakeholder collaboration
Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State has called on security agencies, traditional and community leaders and the public to collaborate in order to rid the state and the rest of the North-east of the dangers of terrorism and insurgency.
He made this known, on Thursday, at the WAWA Hall, Government House Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, at the opening of a two-day national sensitisation workshop on the implementation of the National Counter Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST).
Gaidam, who commended the army, police, and other security agencies for staking their lives to defend the state and its people, however, stressed that no meaningful progress could be achieved unless all security agencies work in harmony.
Said he, “I should stress that in order to carry out their duties with commitment, all the security agencies cannot succeed without working very closely and in harmony with each other.
“I therefore want to urge the Federal Government through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to intensify the mopping up of the remnants of Boko Haram terrorists in all nooks and crannies of the North-east in conjunction with the vigilante groups, and with the aid of organized community policing and surveillance training.
“There can be no effective counter terrorism strategy without adequate intelligence. Timely information is key to addressing the problem of terrorism. Here in Yobe state, we have set up machinery for providing information, the locations and where about of terrorists whenever they are spotted. This is further supported through effective collaboration and trust between the security agencies and the civil population.
“Security agencies should not discard any information whenever provided. It is better to act on any information even if it is later discovered to be false or misleading rather than discarding it and risk colossal damage of lives and properties,” the governor, added.
On his part, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd), who was represented by Head of the Counter Terrorism Center in his office, Alhassan Abubakar Hussaini, appreciated Governor Gaidam for his “resolute commitment” to ensuring peace in the state and for his “outstanding contributions” to the fight against terrorism.
Monguno said terrorism had had a profound negative impact on the nation, citing the devastating loss of lives and property caused by Boko Haram’s horrifying carnage across the North-east.
He identified the five pillars of the counter terrorism strategy to include forestall, secure, identify, prepare and implement where people are stopped from becoming terrorists; where the capacity to fight terror was strengthened; where terrorists acts are pre-empted through detection and early warning systems and where there was preparation to mitigate the impact of potential terrorist attacks.
The NSA said NACTEST was a call for action across national and state ministries, agencies, non-governmental organisations and ordinary citizens given that the fight against terrorism must be a collective endeavour.
The workshop ends on Friday and a communiqué is expected after the deliberations.