Terrorism: FG’s Attempts To Acquire Better Weapons Denied — Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Monday, disclosed that attempts by the federal government to acquire better and more effective weapons to fight insurgencies were denied it.

“For instance, Nigeria had made attempts to acquire better and more effective platforms to deal with terrorists and for one reason or the other we have been denied these platforms, these weapons and without adequate platforms, we will remain at the mercy of terrorists.

The Minister stated this in a chat with newsmen shortly after paying a courtesy call on the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom at the Government House in Makurdi, the state capital.

Mohammed was in Benue State for the official hand over of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), Makurdi campus as north central zonal campus.

While describing last Saturday’s killing of 43 farmers by Boko Haram in Borno as unfortunate, the Information Minister opined that without adequate platforms, the country will remain at the mercy of terrorists.

“But you see fighting terrorists is not a joke, because what actually happened in Borno state was quite unfortunate.

While noting that government is doing a lot in the fight against terrorism, he posited that the issue of terrorism is not peculiar to Nigeria alone.

“It does not mean that the government is not doing enough, terrorism in Africa and any other place in the world has the same concept. You have a group of people who are extremists in their thoughts, who don’t believe that we and you should be alive.”

He expressed the determination of the federal government to continue to protect lives and property of all Nigerians in the face of insurgency and terrorism even as he called for support from global partners.

“We will never stop protecting lives and livelihood, but you must understand that we are also dealing with terrorists who are financed globally and we also need more support from global partners.

“When people talk about terrorism, they don’t seem to appreciate that fact that terrorism is not a local but a global issue and there is no part of the world that is not experiencing pockets of terrorism.

“I am glad that the Governor (Ortom) himself has said the Federal Government has done a lot in curbing the issue of insecurity in Benue state.”