President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the commitment of his administration to tackling terrorists and bandits who have been putting their knees on the necks of Nigerians.
Buhari said terrorists and bandits are not spirits, stressing that they are human beings who “reside in our communities.”
He insisted that terrorists and bandits must all be exposed and crushed by the military for peace to reign in the country.
The president stated this yesterday in Abuja at the Citizens’ Summit for National Integration, Peace and Security convened by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and Partners, with the theme,” Reopen Conversation, Rebuild Trust.”
“Judging by the available reports to me and news that have begun emerging in the last few days, I will say they have heard this instruction and are responding appropriately. In the past couple of days, you must have heard about the number of terrorists neutralized by the military, and number of hostages freed.
“These efforts will not stop, or reduce. We must take the fight to the terrorists and demonstrate that there is no hiding place for them within the borders of our country. Each one of them will be hunted, and pursued and spoken to in the language that they understand,” Buhari said.
Represented by the minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the president commended gallant security personnel for rising to the challenges posed by bandits and terrorists.
The president appealed to Nigerians to continue to support the military and other security agencies in their onerous task of keeping the country safe.
“We must also realise that security is the business of everyone, hence the tagline, ‘if you see something, say something.’ Terrorists or bandits are not spirits. They are human beings and they reside in our communities. They must all be exposed and crushed for peace to reign,” he said.
The president said insecurity in some parts of the country is being exacerbated by fake news and misinformation.
“This summit couldn’t have come at a better time, with the issues of peace, security and national unity on the front burner of our national discourse. In recent times, in particular, the issues of peace and security have been on the lips of many Nigerians, against the backdrop of rampaging terrorists, bandits and kidnappers. This crisis of insecurity has, unfortunately, been exacerbated by the twin evil of fake news and misinformation,” he said.
While citing some examples to clearly illustrate how fake news is fueling apprehension and anxiety in the country, he said on August 10th this year, the Kaduna State government had to debunk an online report claiming that hundreds of bandits had laid a siege on the Kaduna-Zaria Road.
He said the widely-circulated fake news even advised travellers not to enter or leave Zaria due to the presence of bandits at Dumbi and Jaji along the Zaria Road, adding: “Imagine the apprehension and disruption of plans that this fake news could have caused.
Imagine its impact on the security operatives who are doing everything, including paying the ultimate price, to keep us safe.
“Also, in April 2022, a drone video showing a group of five men wearing red clothes and cooking inside an unknown forest went viral. Those circulating the video claimed that it was somewhere in Nigeria. But when BBC did a fact-check on the drone video, it discovered that it was not in Nigeria. The video was circulated just to create panic among the citizens and put the society on edge.
“In June 2022, there were reports of bandits using a helicopter to attack residents in four communities in Kajuru local government area of Kaduna. The Kaduna state government had to debunk the story by clarifying that the chopper was actually an Air Force helicopter dispatched to repel an attack in the area. Again, imagine the panic that would have been triggered by this fake news,” the President said.
He said he has not been spared by the purveyors of fake news and misinformation, as countless numbers of fake news have been attributed to him.”
Buhari said the Federal Ministry of information and Culture is addressing the menace through the National Campaign Against Fake news and Misinformation, a nationwide advocacy campaign, in addition to working with the various social media platforms like Facebook and Google to curtail the spread of fake news and misinformation.
He expressed satisfaction that many CSOs have joined the campaign against fake news and misinformation, while some newspapers have set up fact-checking desks to debunk fake news and misinformation.
The president commended NIPR for hosting the summit in order to promote dialogue and national cohesion, especially in view of the myriad of challenges to unity, peace and security facing the country.
On his part, the president of NIPR Muktar Sirajo called on Nigerians to constantly reassess the focus of the nation, and x-ray the dynamics for nation building.
“Nigerians as a people should constantly re-assess the focus of our dream, x-ray the dynamics in the system, for the continuous evolution of a better way forward to our glorious destination, since nation-building is always a work in progress.”
He said though Nigeria has witnessed some serious challenges in the past few decades in the process of its social evolution and democratic consolidation, its citizens cannot fold their hands and watch.
In his remarks, the chairman, Access Bank Plc, Dr Ajoritsedere Awosika, said Nigeria is at a crossroads, adding that the enemies of political and economic imperialism still lurk within the nation.
“Sadly, rather than working together to eliminate these “cancers”, we have situations of coercion not through conquest, but via economic sanctions, trade wars, inequity as well as political stand-offs that have pervaded the stratosphere of most Nations”
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