The Federal Government has blamed the insurgency in Nigeria on foreign nationals who infiltrated the country through its porous borders.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, stated this while addressing participants at the First Plenary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, held at St. Gabriel’s Chaplaincy, Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja.
He asserted that the security situation plaguing the country predates the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“Insecurity is a problem not only in this country but throughout the world. Even advanced countries are going through this,” he said.
He described the pattern of killings as tragic and stressed that the violence predates the current administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On the controversial issue of reintegrating former terrorists, the SGF clarified that attempts to reintegrate members of Boko Haram were initiated during the previous administration but did not progress significantly and were eventually halted.
“There were attempts to put them in the military, but that was resisted. That was not done,” he explained.
Expressing hope that such measures would not be reintroduced without due consideration, he urged stakeholders, including religious leaders, to approach the issue of insecurity with objectivity and a holistic understanding of its complexities.
“You will have your own session and dissect whatever we say, but let me say what I have as a security report,” Akume said.
Citing security reports, the SGF said many suspects arrested in connection with recent attacks were not Nigerians.
“Many of these people who have been arrested don’t speak English. They speak very poor Hausa, but they speak French. Do we speak French in Nigeria? No,” he said.
While clarifying that extremist groups such as Boko Haram originated within Nigeria, Akume maintained that several attackers currently operating in forests and rural communities, particularly in parts of Niger State and other affected areas, are from outside the country.
“Those who are doing the killings, most of them are from outside the country. I say what I know to be true based on security reports,” he stated.
Referencing recent drone strikes in Sokoto State, he said the government was not passive in confronting security threats.
“It is not that we are just sitting by; America is cooperating with Nigeria. We are working together,” he said.
Akume also disclosed that President Tinubu’s recent visit to Turkey was partly to procure additional military hardware, including drones and other advanced armaments, to strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture.
“The main reason the President was in Turkey was to purchase more armaments. This includes drones. So we are not just sitting idle,” he said.