Buhari urges communities to play active role in security

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged communities in Adamawa and Borno to play active role in security of their localities.

This is contained in a statement signed by Malam Shehu Garba, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, on Saturday in Abuja.

The statement quoted Buhari as making the call through a powerful delegation sent the two states to condole with the governments and people over the increased bombing activity by Boko Haram terrorists.

The leader of the delegation according to the statement is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal.

The president appealed to the people concerned to share in the responsibility of securing their communities.

He advised communities in the country to revert to old practices by which new arrivals in their neighbourhood were taken note of by local chief and security agencies.

The President recalled that this was the practice that worked well in past, in securing neighbourhood and local communities.

The president said that in the past, village head and the local police knew about new entrant into their community.

Buhari urged the people to go back to those rudimentary acts of local policing to detect traits of criminality before evil-doers got the chance to act against their common interest.

He also called on the people to assist security agencies, saying "the job of securing life and property is too important to be left to security officials alone.

“The responsibility of detecting criminals lies with all of us.

“In this new phase of the war, all of us are generals; all of us are foot soldiers and intelligence officers,” the president was quoted.

He promised the full support and the determination of his administration to end the menace of the Boko Haram terrorists by the end of the year.

The statement said that Lawal read Buhari’s message at hospitals, emirs’ palaces and Government Houses visited in the two states.

Buhari said that the security situation in the North East remained a great source of concern to his administration.

“Although there are clear indications that the military is recording great successes in the theatre of operations, the enemy has been able to carry out his murderous campaign by attacking soft targets.

``The intention of the enemy is to create widespread fear amongst the civilian population since he cannot subdue our armed forces,’’ he said.

He said that the sporadic tactics used by the criminals was a sign that they are under intense pressure in the forests and in the countryside where they previously enjoyed a lot of freedom of action.

“The sheer tenacity displayed by our troops in the last three months has resulted in degrading the capacity of the enemy significantly’’.

Buhari assured that the government would do everything humanly possible to bring to a swift end the suffering and loses occasioned by this insurgency.The president, therefore, expressed his sympathy with the families of those who died through the attacks.

``We hope all displaced communities will be returned to their towns and villages,’’ he said.

The statement also quoted Gov. Bukar Shettima of Borno while receiving the delegation as commending President Buhari’s efforts to end Boko Haram attacks in the country.

Members of the delegation included the Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Alhaji Mala Buni; Shehu, and Bukar Maina, a Permanent Secretary in the office of the SGF