Insecurity’ll soon be history in Nigeria, says defence minister

The Minister of State, Defence, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has assured that the insecurity bedevilling the country would soon be over.

The minister, who gave the assurance while speaking to newsmen at his Maradun town residence, Zamfara State, said the ministry had procured helicopters and other fighting equipment, to fight banditry, insurgency and other criminal activities in Nigeria.

“In fact, the Federal Government, under President Bola Tinubu, made arrangements for what is needed to fight insurgency, banditry activities and all sorts of crimes in the country,’’ he said.

According to him, a few days after their swearing-in as ministers, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu gave them a marching order to rid the country of insecurity.

He added: “I assure you that the issue of insecurity in the country would be history because very soon our military will commence manufacturing their weapons in the country.”

Matawalle said he had inspected the military equipment provided by the Federal Government to security personnel, especially the Army, adding that what was being awaited was a positive result.

Meanwhile, civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has called on President Tinubu to declare a national emergency on kidnappings across the country.

The rights group, in a statement, said the federal and state governments should come up with a framework for the declaration of kidnapping as a national emergency.

HURIWA also stated that the 36 state houses of Assembly and the National Assembly should consider amending the relevant criminal laws applicable and then pass a uniform law recognizing kidnapping as a capital offence and set up special courts to fast-track trials of cases of kidnapping.

The rights group urged state governors to stop observing moratorium on the execution of convicted persons tried under capital offences, such as kidnapping.