Boko Haram: Military intervention is a temporary measure — NSA

Posted by admin Boko Haram, Headlines Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

The National Security Adviser, Gen. Andrew Azzazi, has said that there is a need to train the nation’s security operatives on how to get information from the public.

Azzazi, on Saturday, said that the security agencies needed professional training on how to elicit information from the general public on the Boko Haram sect.

He said, “Boko Haram is a sect. Unless you are a member, you cannot find out what they do or how they operate. Our security agencies must learn how to get information from the public and how to protect members of the public who volunteer information.”

Azzazi who spoke on a Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria programme said that the level of security consciousness in the country was low and as such the nation had to face the grim consequences.

The NSA advised Nigerians to be vigilant and emphasised that security agencies must create awareness about the new challenges confronting the nation.

He urged Nigerians not to be frightened but to cooperate with those in charge of security to protect the interest and general infrastructure in the country by being security conscious.

Azzazi disagreed with the insinuation that the security agencies had been caught napping with the spate of explosions in different parts of the country including Abuja.

He said the security agencies had been trained, but the challenges were new, “The bomb squad was trained, but there were no bombs. I don’t think anybody was caught napping.”

Azazi noted that the Boko Haram sect was a threat to the security of the whole country.

“So long as they plant explosions, so long as police stations are raided, so long as banks are raided, they pose a threat.”

Azzazi added that the Federal Government invited the leaders of Borno State and other stakeholders for dialogue on how to solve the Boko Haram problem while at the same time it was taking measures to ensure security of lives and property.

He said, “Security is very expensive, but good governance is something basic about security. Security cameras are not enough. Do you have somebody who is monitoring? Do you have somebody who can react? Government talked to stakeholders in Maiduguri and environs. Every war must end at the table of dialogue. Military intervention is a temporary measure. We must dialogue to solve the problem, if it’s political or socio-economic.”

The NSA said that Nigeria was cooperating and learning from other countries of the world with similar experiences.

He said, “We are cooperating with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation to ensure that investigations meet the best standards. We are learning from people who have experienced this before so we have to learn from what they did. Since the passage of the anti-terrorism act, cooperation has been forthcoming.”
-Punchwp_posts