Safe release of 51 Abuja-Kaduna victims
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, has pledged to raise the bar in security network to eliminate the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) and the spread of Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria.
He also assured that the military and other security agencies were committed to securing the release of 51 Abuja-Kaduna train kidnap victims.
The CDS disclosed this in a live broadcast on the state of security in the country, which was part of activities lined up for Democracy Day celebration.
While urging Nigerians to sustain trust in the military, he called for supply of needed intelligence that would help the security agencies in identifying criminals’ hideouts.
Irabor said: “Trust is a commodity that does not belong to the military alone; it belongs to all of us, Nigerians. It is not how much the civilians trust the military; it is for us to understand that we cannot withhold information and expect a miracle.
“I am a victim as well as Nigerians that are on the street. We are all victims. Trust is not something that we should beg for. Indeed our citizenship is anchored on the need to trust each other, which is in our National Anthem. I crave the indulgence of all Nigerians to say that there has to be trust. Trust must exist and must be given, so that together we can achieve the state that we desire.”
He added that ISWAP, being an international criminal network, has its ideology and objectives, and that measures had been set up to terminate its activities.
“On this Democracy Day, I appeal to Nigerians to focus on the things that unite us; rather than looking at things that will not bring hope to Nigerians, which is the theme of this democracy message ‘Giving hope to Nigerians’,” he said.
Assessing the security situation within the last 12 months, he, however, commended the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that his agenda on security remained a major driver of successes recorded in parts of the country.
He assured families of the Kaduna train kidnap victims to keep hope alive, as security agencies were working to ensure that no stone is left unturned in rescuing the victims unscathed.
