PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, met with security chiefs on the security situation in the country and ordered them to redouble their efforts to secure the lives of Nigerians.The President’s charge came on a day Acting Inspector-General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, rolled out new counter-kidnapping operational strategies in continuation of efforts of the Nigeria Police Force to speedily bring to an end the current internal security challenges facing the country.
President Buhari gave the directive after meeting behind closed doors with heads of security agencies in the country at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Briefing State House correspondents after the meeting, the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ibok Ekwe-Ibas, said the number of kidnapping across the country has dropped. Admiral Ibas said he and other security chiefs at the meeting briefed the President on the proliferation of small arms and what the various agencies were doing to curtail the consequences of the development.
He said the President directed them to ensure that security agencies “do much more to ensure that Nigerians go to bed and wake up feeling healthy and confident that their security is guaranteed.” On the increase in kidnappings in the country, the Naval chief recalled that during the last security council meeting, the Inspector-General of Police was directed to ensure that the country was secured, adding that various operations were subsequently set up. He said: “Operation Puff Adder’ was one of the strategies. With the set up of that operation, there has been a remarkable drop in the number of kidnappings. What normally would attract attention is when a key person in government is, perhaps, kidnapped.