BUBA: LAWMAKER URGES VIGILANCE AGAINST TERROR ATTACKS IN THE NORTH EAST

…Calls on the Army to Be Proactive in their Campaign Against Insurgency

Adamawa lawmaker representing Gombi/ Hong Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives,Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub,has called on the people of his Constituency to remain vigilant against any untoward activities of the insurgent groups operating in his Constituency and the entire Northeast Zone.

The Gombi/ Hong Rep further called on the Army and other security Agencies in the Zone to be proactive in the campaign against terrorism in the region ,while arguing that a situation where the Army only slowly responds to situations after they have taken place does not portray the military as having the capacity to deal with the terror groups operating in the area at present.

In a release signed by the lawmaker and made available to us,Monday,in Abuja,Buba condemned the recent terror attacks in Borno and Adamawa States,while sympathising with all those who had lost loved ones and poperty.

The Press Release reads:

“THE INSURGENCY ATTACK IN GARKIDA: MY SYMPATHIES TO THE AFFECTED AND RENEWED CALL FOR VIGILANCE.

“Just as our people were getting ready to usher in the Christmas day celebrations on Thursday night came the news of a fresh attack on the good people of Garkida. As an obvious coordinated act of terrorism,there was also news of similar attacks on some Borno towns and villages where inhabitants had fled their homes and had been left in disarray.

“Once again,these ugly attacks on innocent, peace- loving and harmless populations, involving helpless women, children and the aged, across the Northeast Zone in over the last ten years have remained a dark patch on the coordinated efforts of Governments at all levels, Civil Society Groups, Multinational and Multilateral Groups and Corporations, including high- spirited individuals and political actors, to bring back enduring peace and development to the region.

“Only early this year,Garkida and some parts of our Constituency,Gombi/ Hong, had also come under similar fires that had left at their wake destruction of lives and property. The rebuilding processes for hospitals,places of worship and business premises that had been damaged in those attacks before the one of last weekend had only just begun in most of the cases. Our area and the entire Northeast Zone have suffered attacks once too many and it is time for rational judgment to prevail in the ranks of the insurgents.

“I, therefore,condemn in very strong terms the attacks on helpless communities in Adamawa and Borno States last weekend. These attacks are even more condemnable considering the fact that they have been carried out at a time the entire world is in unison enthusiastically expecting a brand New Year. I also wish to use this medium to sympathise with all those whose loved ones were affected in these attacks.

“Consequent upon the need to forestall further attacks on our innocent citizens ,I call on the Nigerian military and other para- military groups to up their ante in the job of securing our communities , especially at this period of celebrations. We must understand that until those who have elected to spread terror and sorrow on our land begin to feel and show remorse for their reprehensible acts of violence,we must not let our guards down. As the saying goes, continuous and eternal vigilance remains the price of liberty. The military must in all its tactics embrace proactive measures in mitigating the current terrorism in our land.

“In this wise, intelligence- gathering is key. We must develop, therefore,the requisite ability to see through circumstances before they happen. A situation where we tend to react to situations after they have taken place casts so much doubts on the ability of the Nigerian military as an effective force in the war against terror in our land. Much as we appreciate their over- all efforts in the general circumstances, such obvious poor intelligence- gathering and even poorer network and coordination abilities that widen their reaction time in an event of any such attacks as we witnessed last week in the two States of Adamawa and Borno leave all of us at the mercy of the insurgents.

“While I enjoin our people to also be vigilant as we go about our daily rounds,I again wish to remind us that the military may not be able to do much without our onerous support and cooperation in the campaign at hand. We must, therefore,be constantly on the lookout for strange faces, unusual movements and extra- ordinary activities around our communities and places of abode. We must report every suspicion to the authorities and commit to ensuring that such reports are not in anyway taken for granted by insisting on concrete actions by those to whom we have given these reports. It is your right to insist that action(s) be taken on every report made.

“Once again,I sympathize with all those who have been affected in the last round of these attacks and pray God to preserve and protect the good people of Garkida,the entire Gombi/ Hong Federal Constituency,Adamawa State and our nation as a whole as we move into the New Year.

God bless Nigeria”.