Chief Bisi Akande, the Chairman of the party said this at a press conference in Lagos on Sunday.
Akande also commended the offer of assistance by Canada, China, France, ECOWAS and the UN, among others to help find the girls.
He said that the support being offered by the countries and organisations confirmed the party’s belief that the war against terrorism was a global battle that needed all hands to be on deck.
“ We thank all the friendly nations and global organisations that have expressed solidarity with our dear country in her hour of need.
“And we urge those that have offered assistance to ensure it extends beyond finding our girls to dealing a crushing blow to the terrorists and defeating them once and for all,’’ he said.
Akande, who was flanked by several national executive members of the party, said that despite the foreign support, however, the Nigerian Government should continue to do more to ensure the security and safety of its citizens.
He said the party believed that the Nigerian military had the ability to be more successful in the fight against insurgency if it was better equipped.
Akande said that the APC remained resolute that Nigeria could overcome the Boko Haram sect if everyone came together to fight the common enemy.
He said that the party was advocating a multifaceted strategy that the Nigerian Government could also adopt in fighting the battle and getting victory.
Akande said that the APC believed that the government should develop and/or publish a Counter-Terrorism Strategy and build a new intelligence gathering infrastructure
“We need to obtain more timely and actionable intelligence from local sources in the areas affected by Boko Haram,’’ he said.
According to him, there is also a need to establish an office of the Special Anti-Terrorism Coordinator.
The party chairman said that there was a need for improved Intelligence in the fight against terror in the country.
“The solution to preventing, limiting and responding better to BH attacks does not lie in deploying more troops but in improving intelligence and increasing force enablers.
“The fight against BH will be enhanced if government focuses on these two elements,’’ he said.
Akande said that there was a need to improve contingency planning and also align military with political (negotiated) solutions.
“Government must develop a strategy along the lines of the policy followed by President Yar’Adua (over the MEND in the Niger Delta).
“At least to the extent that we use employment and other rehabilitative incentives to separate the rank and file from Boko Haram’s leadership,’’ he said.
Akande said government should also solicit the operational involvement and assistance of ECOWAS and AU.
According to him, that includes deploying multinational security operations across the Sahel to track down Boko Haram’s operational chain.
“It is clear that Boko Haram is no longer a ‘Nigeria-only’ problem, but now a regional security menace that requires regional responses,’’ he said.
He also called for an economic development plan for Northern Nigeria and the involvement of civilian peace building organisations in the design of peace building initiatives for the North-East. (NAN)
