The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-Gen Faruk Yahaya, has appealed to traditional and religious leaders to support the military and other security agencies by providing actionable intelligence to combat banditry and other security challenges besetting some parts of the country.

He also called for effective inter-agency collaboration between civil-military and paramilitary organizations to checkmate the carnage within their respective areas of responsibilities.

The Army chief, who made the appeal in Katsina Thursday when he paid a courtesy call on the Emir of Katsina, Dr. Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, said the collaboration was necessary in order to checkmate the security challenges in the country.

According to the COAS, traditional and religious institutions have vital roles to play in the fight against insecurity in the country.

He added that giving security operatives vital and actionable information on the whereabouts and movements of insurgents, bandits and kidnappers will help the authorities in containing the situation.

He, however, noted that the worrisome situation in the North-west was already improving due to the steps taken by officers and men of the Nigerian Army in synergy with other security agencies.

Yahaya said:

We are here to seek for your blessings, support and guidance. We are also asking for actionable information sharing from the residents to win the fight against banditry and other security challenges facing this country.

We need more cooperation and synergy from other security agencies and relevant stakeholders, particularly traditional and religious institutions as well as community and opinion leaders to curtail or bring to the barest minimum the issue of banditry and kidnapping.

Responding, Usman attributed the spate of insecurity pervading the nation to the activities of informants whom he termed dangerous elements fueling banditry and kidnapping in the state.

The traditional ruler also opined that lack of credible information sharing and synergy among security personnel were responsible for the security challenges facing the country, especially the North-west region.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army chief is expected to pay homage to the Emir of Daura, Dr. Faruk Umar Faruk, and address troops at the Fort Muhammadu Buhari Forward Operating Base, Daura, today (Friday).

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.