As Obanikoro says caliphate declaration is ‘madness’
By Evelyn Usman
Fresh indication has emerged that terrorists are currently employing new tricks to beat security checks. Among such moves is the recruitment of physically-challenged people to carry out their dastardly acts in some parts of the country.
DEPLOYED— File pictures of military patrol and checkpoint in Maiduguri, Borno State. An estimated 3,000 troops have been deployed to embattled states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, following the proclamation of State of Emergency in the states . Photos: AFP.
The recruitment of these set of persons, as gathered, was to allow easy access into states like Lagos.
This came as the Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obaniko, yesterday in Lagos, described Boko Haram sect’s declaration of Gwoza town in Borno state as an Islamic caliphate, as a ‘temporary madness’ that would soon disappear, saying there would never be another republic within Nigeria.
Military sources hinted that following intelligence report on the use of people with disabilities by the Boko haram sect, screening of physically challenged persons, particular those using tricycles had begun.
The disclosure as gathered, followed the confessional statement of the physically challenged man arrested recently at the Murtala Mohammed Airport in Lagos, with combustive substance.
A military source, who spoke on condition of anonymity however assured that the Military was on top of the situation.
There will never be another republic within a republic — Obanikoro
Meanwhile, addressing journalists at the end of a two-day familiarisation tour of the Western Naval Command’s area of responsibility, Obanikoro assured Nigerians that the federal government had all that was needed to address the current security situation in the country and was taking adequate steps to address it.
Part of the steps taken according to him, included the injection of adequate fund into the military with a view to acquiring equipment that would raise its performance.
According to him, “the madness we are witnessing today is something that is temporary. And be rest assured that we have all it takes to make it as temporary as it takes. There can never be a republic within a republic. The national Conference which just ended had all responsible and reasonable Nigerians saying that we are going to stay together, live together in peace and develop our country.
“The commitment of President Goodluck Jonathan to ensure this has started. We are having massive injection of funds into acquisition of equipment that will raise the performance level of our military across the board; Navy, AirForce, Army and even the Police, to meet the challenges of the future.
At the Western Naval Command, which was his first port of call on Monday, Obanikoro said the Federal Government was not treating the threat of sea robbers in the country’s maritime domain with kids gloves, insisting that a lot was being done in terms of capacity building and acquisition of platforms for the Nigerian Navy to perform optimally..
He also expressed satisfaction at what he described as a job well done by the command in ensuring that the traffic gridlock hitherto witnessed along the Oshodi/Apapa expressway, had become a thing of the past.
Though he noted that traffic control was not part of the Navy’s constitutional responsibility, he said the command was compelled to intervene owing to the security situation of the country, saying “One negative incident of explosion like that in Apapa, would have consumed the entire area as there are lots of tank farms there. This would have resulted in wanton destruction of human lives and property”
Also visited, was the Naval base.
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