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National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has threatened to lead an offensive that will see the destruction of a new terrorist organisation, Lakurawa, which is operating in Kebbi and Sokoto states.
The terror group is reported to have established administrative structures in many communities of the northern states.
Ribadu made this assertion yesterday in Abuja at the 2024 CGCs Conference with the theme, “Nigeria Customs Service: Engaging Traditional and New Partners with Purpose.”
He said, “Lukarawa is making a mistake. Nobody dares Tinubu and wins. They are born at the wrong time. And we will kick you out of Nigeria. This is Nigeria in 2024. Things are changing. Right now, we have places where we have surrendered bandits. Tinubu gains. We now have all the security arms working together. Nigeria will stabilise. Wait and see,”
The NSA said the various security agencies were united toward dealing with Nigeria’s 14-year-old security crisis.
According to him, the “unprecedented” teamwork of the security agencies is yielding maximum results, with Boko Haram terrorists now fleeing the country into neighbouring Chad.
“We will chase the so-called Lukarawa out of our country. Boko Haram are moving out today. They are moving to Chad. It will be over soon,” he said.
Speaking at the event, President Bola Tinubu said his administration’s commitment to creating an enabling business environment had resonated with the international investment community.
“The confidence in our economy is reflected in the significant surge in foreign direct investments, which has exceeded $30 billion in the past year,” the president, who was represented by Ribadu, stated.
The NSA said that, without deferring to politics, which would always be played, progress has been made in many sectors in Nigeria since President Tinubu was sworn in on May 29, 2023.
He said many people and investors now look forward to coming to Nigeria, which is one of the achievements of the Tinubu administration.
“We are not jokers. Tinubu is a success. He has never been a failure. We won’t fail. I don’t think we have ever had a team like this. Those who are working for Tinubu are one.
“Critics will always be there, politics will be played. Very soon, they will not have anything to talk about,” Ribadu stated.
The NSA noted that the economy is getting better, citing increased crude oil production in the Niger Delta as well as the fiscal reforms by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“Crude oil production has hit 1.8 million bpd and the Central Bank has been sanitised; no one is taking a dime from the CBN. When we promised that we’ll fix this country, we will do so because President Tinubu has never been a failure,” he said.
The President said his administration’s achievement demonstrates that its policies are yielding positive results, including the high revenue generation performance by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), making Nigeria increasingly attractive for both domestic and international investors.
LEADERSHIP reports that the customs announced a record N5.079 trillion revenue generation on Wednesday, beating the target set by the National Assembly.
President Tinubu expressed the belief that the service’s revenue collection performance demonstrates that effective trade facilitation can coexist with robust regulatory compliance, as evidenced by its enhanced border security and anti-smuggling operations.
He promised that his administration would continue to provide the necessary policy backing and enablement required to strengthen the service’s capacity to deliver on its mandates.
“Our commitment to sustainable economic reforms, trade facilitation, and creating an enabling business environment is firm and irreversible,” he remarked yesterday at the ongoing conference.
For his part, the Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa said Nigeria’s insecurity challenges are not new and that all hands must be on deck to fight them.
“They have been here, and they will pass. Together, we can combat the ills that face the country, including the trafficking of arms, drugs, and other social vices,” he said, adding that strengthening the professional competence of customs officers is critical to achieving its mandates.
Service Chiefs Working To Implement Measures – Minister
On his part, the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, said that the Service Chiefs are working hard to implement measures that will help in crushing the new terror group, Lakurawa.
The new terror group killed 15 people and rustled over 100 cows in Mera, Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi State recently.
The emergence of the terror group in the North West has raised concerns, especially amid the current security challenges facing the region.
However, in an interview with the BBC Hausa service, the minister of defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, said the government was taking measures to eliminate the terror group.
He disclosed that more equipment and additional troops would be deployed to the affected areas to stem the tide of the security challenge and ensure that it did not escalate to other states.
“The (acting) Chief of Army Staff has visited the areas and discussed how to crush these people with other service chiefs. They have rolled out strategies on how to end the new terror group, God willing, including the provision of additional equipment and troops that will be deployed to the affected areas to bring an end to it.
“Christopher Musa (the Chief of Defence Staff), the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff and the Chief of Air Staff have met and mapped out strategies, and I am convinced of how they will handle the issue. With your prayers, God willing, we will decimate and end this security challenge,” he said.
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