ABUJA – The Federal Government on Thursday said it was doing everything possible to win the war against insurgents and ensure adequate security in the country.
Dr Ralph Bello-Fadile, from the Office of National Security Adviser in the Presidency stated this at one-day programme organised by the Africa Programme of Chatham House.
The programme was entitled “Addressing the Boko Haram Crisis: Lessons, Responses and Next Steps.’’
The Africa Programme of Chatham House is an institution that develops foreign policy orientated research on issues affecting individual states of Africa, their international relations and Africa continent as a whole.
According to Bello-Fadile, the Federal Government is doing everything within its power to end the insurgency as quickly as possible.
“We are not resting, we are using our military, we are using the soft approach and we are reaching out to elders in the areas to get across to the insurgent groups.
“We are also calling on them to lay down their arms and come out and let’s join hands together to develop Nigeria.’’
He said that President Goodluck Jonathan had also approved a National Counter-Terrorism Strategy as a long time strategy.
The strategy, he added, was about what Nigerians should do in terms of fighting terrorism and preventing it.
Bello-Fadile said the strategy also included efforts every agent of government should put in place to ensure that people do not get to the extreme.
“The insurgency is in a peculiar area, a peculiar war and in a peculiar environment that we are fighting.
“So we have trained all our soldiers and they all have their pamphlets and are to be conscious of human rights violations.’’
He said it was not enough to say there were human right violations; where are the evidences?.
He noted that people were always refusing to testify to the rights violations.
“I will like to say that we have the order of the terrorism act that gives protection to witnesses.
“If you come to testify, we have protection for you but then people who write the reports on human right violations always refuse to talk.
[eap_ad_1]
“But then, they still go out and publish these reports and that is the problem that we are having.’’
Dr Mare-Antoine Perouse de Montclos, the Associate Fellow of the Africa Programme, Chatham House, said that the Federal Government would need to reassess the role and mandate of the armed forces in the northeast.
Perouse de Montclos said that the international community must encourage a mandate that prioritised the protection of civilians and witnesses.
He added that in the longer term, government must work toward professionalising the armed forces within a democratic context and in particular, the police force.
Also, Ms Elizabeth Donnelly, the Assistant Head and Research Fellow, Africa Programme, Chatham House, said that the programme was organised to interact with world renowned experts on the issue of insurgency in Nigeria.
Donnelly said the international community was worried about insurgency in the northern part of the country.
“There were lack of information and data, so Chatham House is carrying out research that seeks to help government in decision making,’’ she said. (NAN)
[eap_ad_4]
