By Christiana Ekpa
The Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC) has charged the new Service Chiefs appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, to make haste and crush terrorism, banditry and kidnapping across the country and make Nigeria safe again.
In a congratulatory message issued yesterday by the National Chairman of IPAC, Leonard Nzenwa, the Council also commended President Buhari for heeding the calls by eminent Nigerians to rejig the security architecture, even as it urged him to do more.
“IPAC and patriotic Nigerians have severally called for the rejig of the nation’s security architecture with a view to injecting fresh blood and ideas in fighting insurgents in the country.
“It is time to fight terrorism head-on and make Nigeria safe and secure again. The citizenry has confidence in the ability of the nation’s armed forces to rout, crush, subdue and conquer Boko Haram insurgents, the ubiquitous bandits and kidnappers that have terrorised the people for over a decade”, the statement said.
IPAC also charged the new Service Chiefs to be proactive and launch effective military offensives at all the criminals’ dens, camps and hideouts in the country and reclaim every part thereof they occupy and rescue their captives.
It said all captured terrorists, insurgents, bandits and kidnappers should be prosecuted along with their sponsors to serve as a deterrence to others who would contemplate such outrageous crimes against the country.
The statement said, “Council urges the Federal Government to provide the military with modern weapons, ammunition and fighter jets essential to defeat the insurgents and all criminal elements in the country. The need for team work and intelligence sharing cannot be overemphasized. To achieve this, the welfare of the rank and file should be a top priority so as to boost their morale in the battlefield.
“The era of fighting terrorism, insurgency and banditry with a kid’s glove is over. Nigerians expect total defeat of these outlaws and not the purported “technical defeat” in which the insurgents and bandits are pampered, rehabilitated and released to resume their onslaughts against fellow compatriots.
“The tasks ahead is enormous and expectation of Nigerians very high, IPAC therefore urges the new service chiefs to justify the confidence the nation reposed in them and adopt the best military strategies to defeat these gangsters and insurgents and seek foreign assistance where necessary.
“Our thoughts, prayers and support are with members of our armed forces, paramilitary personnel and the police in the quest to make Nigeria safe and great again as the giant of Africa. We are all in it together, and together we shall surmount all obstacles in building a strong, virile, progressive, prosperous, equitable and decent democratic nation.”
On this note, IPAC congratulated the new service chiefs, Chief of Defence Staff – Major-General Leo Irabor, Chief of Army Staff – Major-General l. Attahiru, Chief of Naval Staff – Rear Admiral A. Z. Gambo and Chief of Air Staff – I. O. Amao, on their appointments to rescue the nation from elongated terrorism, insurgency, banditry and kidnapping, and safeguard its territorial integrity.
