Why insecurity persists in north west – Lagbaja

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has  identified illegal mining, banditry, and cattle rustling among other issues as reasons for the persistence of insecurity in the north west.

Lagbaja,  said this through the Nigerian Army Chief of Operations, Major General Benson Sijen, who represented him at  the opening of a  three-day retreat for retired and serving commanders in the north west. The retreat which is being held in Abuja started on Monday.

“The current security challenges the nation is facing are volatile, complex and fluid and vary from one zone to another. In the Northwest, the security situation is made complex and persistent by activities of non-state actors who engage in banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, illegal mining, and violent attacks leading to the destruction of life and means of livelihoods.

“The activities of these non-state actors have continued to impact the security environment in the Northwest region and, by extension, in our country despite efforts to curb the trend by the Nigerian army, sister services, and other government departments and agencies,” the army boss said.

Speaking further, Lagbaja said:  “Surmounting insecurity in the North West region needs a periodic review of the situation, which in turn will allow us to truly understand the generality and specifics for seamless planning and executing of operations. The threats, as I mentioned, are always fluid and evolving, thus requiring us to quickly adapt, for us to be at least a step ahead of the adversary. This retreat has provided a unique opportunity for us to review the situation in the North West by brainstorming for the next three days to arrive at potent solutions.”