President Goodluck Jonathansummoned his security chiefs for an emergency meeting yesterday, where he told them to go after the Boko Haram and end the sect’s wave of violence around the country.
Those at the meeting, held at the State House in Abuja, were Chief of Defense Staff Oluseyi Petinrin, Chief of Army Staff Azubuike Ihejirika, Chief of Naval Staff Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, Chief of Air Staff Mohammed Umar, Inspector General of Police Hafiz Ringim, Director General of the SSS Ita Ekpenyong and National Security Adviser Andrew Azazi.
Ringim told journalists after the meeting that it reviewed the recent security situation in the country and President Jonathan had asked the officials about “where we were, where we are and where we need to be” in order to end the Boko Haram violence.
“The president is concerned about the security challenges in the country, so he summoned each and every one of us, the service chiefs, in order to review the situation,” he said. “Terrorism is not an easy matter at all ... It is a very new phenomenon here. We ... are all scrambling to find our feet and face it squarely.”
Sources told Daily Trust that during the meeting, Jonathan asked the security chiefs to overhaul of their operational strategies in facing the Boko Haram violence. “We must stop this Boko Haram madness,” the president was quoted as saying.
On Wednesday, Jonathan told visiting delegation of the Christian Association of Nigeria that he would make changes to his security team, in the wake of the Christmas Day bombings that left dozens dead.
After yesterday’s meeting, Petirin told reporters that the president has taken decisive actions to restructure the security apparatus in the country.
The president has been holding series of discussions with religious and security chiefs after Sunday’s violence in Madalla, Jos and Damaturu.
Ringim said yesterday “we are all worried. Terrorism is not an easy matter at all.”
He said some success has been recorded in the campaign against Boko Haram.
“The arrest of these terrorists has been going on for a long time. Many of them have been arrested and many of them are in detention. They are in the process of being prosecuted,” he said.
But he said those arrested so far were mere foot soldiers for the Boko Haram sect.
“So far, we have arrested hundreds of them but that is not the issue. These people to my mind are just the foot soldiers and we need to get strong evidence through the cooperation of members of the public so that we will be able to get to the leaders, masters and organizers of these people,” Ringim said.
“I assure you we are doing our possible best. We are prepared more than ever before and I want to assure you this that if we had not done what we did in Yobe, if we had not done what we did in Kaduna, indeed if the Nigerian Police Force had not done what we did in Kano, the recovery of the primed up suicide bombing vehicles, the story would have been a different one. I assure you members of the public that the Nigerian Police Force and indeed all other security agencies are now ready more than ever before to face these challenges.”
The Christmas Day attacks that mainly targeted churches sparked fears of sectarian violence between Muslims and Christians.
Ringim said the attackers had not chosen only Christian targets as they had also killed Muslims as well.
“Definitely people are agitated and these Boko Haram terrorist groups are not attacking only Christians. They attack everyone that is on their way including members of the armed forces and the police and other security agencies.
“From among us, there are Muslims and there are Christians. I don’t think it is a case of Muslims versus Christians or Christians against Muslims,” he said.
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