Fct, Kano, Rivers: Tinubu Calls For Restraint By Security Agencies, Urges Inec To Strengthen Voters’ Confidence
…directs interior Minister to replace withdrawn policemen with Civil Defence for VIPs
…asks govs to remodel salvaged grazing routes into ranches
In order to further boost the fight against insecurity in the country, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to arm the Forest Guards in order to rid the forest of criminals.
The President also directed the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, to liaise with the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to replace the policemen withdrawn from politically exposed persons with trained and armed Civil Defence personnel.
He equally directed the National Executive Council (NEC), chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, to work with state governors to remodel salvaged grazing reserves and turn them into ranches in order to stem constant farmers/herders clashes.
The directive on the replacement of policemen with Civil Defence, it was learnt, followed reports that some VIPs were not comfortable with the Presidential order declaring an emergency on insecurity by ordering the withdrawal of Policemen from their convoy so that they could face their core mandate.
It was learnt that some politically exposed persons were afraid of being exposed with the withdrawal of Policemen from them, hence the latest directives that the policemen on guard duties with the VIPs be substituted with Civil Defence personnel.
Tinubu, who spoke ahead of the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, said:
“And I told the IGP, and I hope the Minister of Police Affairs is here, if you have any problem of security because of the nature of the assignment, please contact the IGP and get my clearance.
“The Minister of Interior should liaise with the IGP and the Civil Defence structure to replace those police officers who are on special security duties so that you don’t leave people exposed.
“NSA and DSS to provide further information and form themselves into the committee and review the structure. It should be effective. We face challenges of kidnapping and terrorism. We need all the forces that we can utilise.
“I know some of our people are exposed, and I understand that we have to make exceptional provision for them, and Civil Defence are equally armed, and I want to know that from the NSA to arm our forest guards too, take it very seriously.
Again, especially livestock reform, I think the Vice President should get the NEC first of all to see which villages or grazing reserves can be salvaged or rehabilitated into Ranches, Livestock settlements.
We must eliminate the possibility of conflicts and turn the Livestock reform into economically viable development. The opportunity is there, let’s utilise it.
And it is in NEC, if we exercise the constitutional requirement which states that the land belongs to the states, whichever one they can salvage,c onvert to a Livestock village, let us stop this conflict area and turn it into economic opportunities and prosperity.
