• Rep seeks better protection for notorious Kano forest
Disturbed by the worsening insecurity in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, gave a matching order to the service chiefs to come up with a lasting solution to the challenge.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the third National Security Council meeting presided over this year by the President at the State House, Abuja. He said the Nigerian leader reiterated his stance to the security heads that their best was not good enough.

The NSA stated that since the issues involved were operational in nature, the Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, was “working on something” that would give a new direction to the security agencies.

On the allegations raised by Governor Babagana Zulum against the military, he said the Borno State chief executive would confer with the Buhari during a virtual meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. Monguno pointed out that the gathering regretted the proliferation of sundry hard drugs, adding that the development was fuelling the insecurity in the land. He said the gruesome killings by bandits, kidnappers and terrorists attest to the fact that these criminal elements are under the influence of substance.

The NSA added that his office was collaborating with relevant agencies on a panacea.The retired military officer stated that Buhari has vowed to restore the confidence of Nigerians in the nation’s security architecture.

His words: “Mr. President has directed that we must rejig our strategy both in terms of operations and intelligence to further prevent catastrophes. We must bear in mind that we owe a duty to the people that elected this government and at the end of the day, without securing the nation, all other things such as revamping the economy and fighting corruption, cannot be addressed.”

Others who attended the meeting included Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas and Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar.

Also present were the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi and his National Intelligence Agency (NIA) counterpart, Ahmed Rufa’i.

The attendees equally consisted of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Defence, Bashir Magashi, Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammad Dingyadi and the Minister of State, for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada.

In a related development, House Leader in the lower legislative chamber of the National Assembly, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, has sought better security for the notorious Falgore forest in Kano State.

The distress call, he noted, was to rescue his constituency from the hands of bandits and cattle rustlers terrorising the Fulani communities of Doguwa and Tudunwada federal constituency. He made the appeal during separate courtesy calls on the state Commissioner of Police, Habu Sani and the Commander, 3 Brigade, Kano, Brigadier General Bamidele Alabi.