Former Lagos CP, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav has hinted that a fair assessment of the war against insurgency by the Nigerian government would rightly place the Service Chiefs such as Lieutenant General TY Buratai and others for national honours as reward for their decisive action against the Boko Haram terrorist group.
The former Ombudsman at the National Public Complaints Commission (NPC ) , who spoke on the achievements of the Buhari administration, hinted that one glaring area that no one can doubt Mr. President’s efforts is on the war against insurgency in Nigeria.
He said President Buhari through the military, particularly the Nigerian Army under Lieutnant General TY Buratai, has demonstrated overwhelming capacity to rescue our country from Boko Haram and other insurgency groups in the country.
“ The president has done his best in the fight against insurgency. He has done his very best in supporting the states and the army, those who are discrediting him are being very unfair”
“We may not agree with the President’s approach in some other areas but the Service Chiefs and in particular the Chief of Army Staff who toil the theatre of operation day and night are just few of the special breed of people that we must celebrate as far as the war against insurgency is concerned”. Tsav said.
According to Tsav, the service Chiefs deserve more than just a pass mark but rather our national Honours like Grand Commander of the Order of Niger [GCON] to appreciate their selfless sacrifices and that of our troops who all came face to face with death at some point to achieve the current level of peace and tranquility across the country.
Those who paid the supreme price must also not be forgotten, the fearless police officer quickly reminded.
“Buratai has done tremendously well. He is giving his best to the war and the country, you always see him moving round to rally the troops and offer support. The man deserves commendation”. Tsav noted.
Speaking on recent activities on killings across the country, Tsav said no one should be cajoled into political deception being bandied around by some selfish politicians who stole all the commonwealth of their people that the ongoing criminal activities being perpetuated by evil men has no backing of some Governors.
He said people who have squandered their security votes including workers’ salaries have no moral right to further deceive any Nigerian on the true state of security in the country.
“These Governors who were supposed to be the Chief security officer of the state sometimes go as far as arming Militias against their own citizens just to have alibi to steal from the treasury,” he said.
Tsav also added that many Nigerians may have their opinion on the successes on the war against insurgency but only those who fully understand the situation of things then and now have a moral right to query or applaud the President in this respect.
He added that “President Buhari’s team has done well and can only do more if given the necessary tools such as cooperation, moral support and even the needed budgetary allocations to function”.
When asked about the ability of the government to tackle the growing spate of violence across the north central, Tsav said the issue around Benue, Taraba and other states was about criminality and the connivance of the State Governors to deceive their own citizens.
The former Lagos State commissioner of police further berated those who have attributed the wave of violence to the presidency, stating that the insecurity experienced in the North Central region is a machination of state governors who have failed to deliver on their campaign promises and have decided to hide behind the excuse of violence to gain sympathy.
According to Tsav, even in this respect the Nigerian Armed Forces that was called upon at the most critical stage to intervene has done its best to ensure that peace return back to every nook and cranny of the country and its one area that President Buhari must be commended for his men on the ground.
The social rights activist particularly challenged the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, when he called on the governor to prove his innocence and non-complicity in the ongoing killings in the state by confidently declaring how he expended the funds the federal government had alloted for security in the state.
“if Ortom is actually sure he is not part of those fuelling the crisis, let him come out and tell his people what he has done with the monthly withdrawal done in the name of security votes and stop hiding under needless media propaganda”. Tsav advised.
Speaking further the former commissioner of police continued that it was obvious that the state government had a hand in the crisis pointing to the fact that the governor had even employed those suspected to be terrorists and criminals in his government noting that since their arrest there has been a drastic reduction in the spate of killings.
“it is obvious that the governor of my state has a hand in the killings. He even employed some of the sponsors of these crises in his administration. You see that since the arrest of some of them the killings have subsided”. He retorted.
Abubakar Tsav also applauded the decision of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for daring into the security spending in the states. He said this will further deter would-be looters from hiding under this subhead to carry out massive diabolical fraud.
Tsav acknowledged that negotiation was the only key to resolution of the prevalent conflicts between the two farming tribes but was quick to add that although this was not unknown, many have chosen to use this mishaps to their gain.
He advised media practitioners against submitting their outfits” to be used by alarmist governors who have failed and are hiding under the cover of violence to hoodwink the people ,”. He also added.
