Kebbi Central senator Adamu Aliero has commended the Nigerian Army for their fight against insurgency in the North-East and for flushing out terrorist group Lakurawa into Niger Republic.
Mr Aliero, in a statement on Friday in Abuja, said troops pursued the terrorists out of the country on Tuesday after Defence Minister Abubakar Badaru, Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa, and other critical stakeholders intervened.
“Do you know that they were bold enough to hang around and kept threatening the villagers until our military arrived on Tuesday (November 12) and pursued them as they ran into Niger Republic?” Mr Aliero said.
“Our troops can’t go beyond our international boundary. But it is now up to our existing military cooperation with the Nigerien military on stamping out banditry and insurgency to do the rest.”
Mr Aliero said the operation against the terrorists by the army was imperative to prevent what happened in the North-East from replicating in the North-West, which, by then, would be more tragic.
“It’s a war that can be finished within five days, and if we allow a repeat of North-East in the North-West, it would be devastating. The North-West has more population and is richer in agricultural land, animal husbandry with rivers for good irrigation, fishing, and other things, so we must secure the area,” said the senator.
Mr Aliero said the development followed recent deadly activities of the terror group in his state. He said this prompted the state’s federal lawmakers to go on a fact-finding mission to the most affected local government areas, Argungu and Augie, last Friday and donated N10 million to families of the deceased.
Expressing confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s ability to secure the country, Mr Aleiro appreciated Mr Badaru for handling the insecurity in the areas.
He urged security personnel to remain in the affected areas to prevent the terrorists from returning for a reprisal.
“As elected lawmakers, we will continue to work assiduously with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to keep the country safe, secure and stable because insecurity does not recognise race, religion, tribe, tongue or party affiliation. Security is everybody’s responsibility,” he said.
The director of army public relations, Onyema Nwachukwu, did not respond to Peoples Gazette’s calls and messages seeking confirmation and details regarding the senator’s claim.
