SGF, NSA, IG, Minister, SSGs Endorse Joint Operations to Flush out Bandits

A joint operation to deliberately deny criminals room for
manoeuvre and change of locations and hideouts has been approved by
a forum of prominent state players as part of a new initiative to
curb the growing insecurity in the country.

Key actors, who endorsed the move, include Secretary to the
Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; National
Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno; and Inspector General of
Police Mohammed Adamu. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster
Management and Social Development (FMHADM&SD), Sadiya Umar
Farouk; Minister of Environment, Dr. Abubakar Mahmood; and the 36
Secretaries to the State Governments also approved the new
operation.

The resolution was part of the decisions reached at the first
quarter regular meetings by the Forum of Secretary to the
Government of the Federation with Secretaries to the State
Governments, which held virtually on Thursday.

According to a communiqué issued yesterday, the meeting urged
the Secretaries to the State Governments to explore possibilities
of joint operations by states to prevent free movements by
criminals between states.
“This is to avoid bandits moving from areas of hot pursuit to other
areas and returning, when the heat is down,” the communiqué
stated.

Themed, “Role of Secretaries to the State Governments in
Strengthening Sub-National Level Security Architecture,” the
meeting was chaired by Mustapha in company with other
stakeholders.

The forum called on the federal government to strengthen border
controls in order to check illegal immigrants and influx of weapons
from other countries. It emphasised the need to resuscitate
community-driven safety measures and address existing trust
deficits to encourage willingness to release information to state
security agencies.

“The meeting emphasised the need to recalibrate our traditional
governance systems to the time-tested and proven method of
responsiveness to civil society at the local levels, which hitherto
prevailed in the country,” the communiqué stated.

The forum said there was need to automate the national security
architecture and provide adequate resources for personnel,
equipment, and operations. It highlighted the need to improve the
current low police to population ratio and imbibe community
policing. It reiterated the need for appropriate public
enlightenment to raise security awareness among the citizenry.

The meeting equally recognised the coordinating role of the
Secretaries to the State Governments and called on them to
strengthen non-kinetic approaches, especially, by establishing a
community level early warning systems.

The forum also noted progress made in strengthening federal and
state governments’ relationship in delivering poverty eradication
initiatives and called for sustenance and scaling up in view of the
growing poverty situation in the country.

Farouk disclosed that there was an on-going high-level
consultation to establish structures that would ensure that all
agencies responsible for implementing poverty eradication
programmes/projects cooperated. The consultation is also to ensure
that the agencies are well coordinated to share experiences, share
data and complement each other for effectiveness, better deployment
of resources, and higher poverty reduction impacts, she said.

Farouk said at the federal level, there will be National Poverty
Eradication Cooperation and Coordinating Committee (NPCCC) chaired
by her. She explained that at the state level, there would also be
a Poverty Eradication Cooperation and Coordination Committee
(SPCCC), under the Offices of the SSGs, aimed at achieving similar
objectives.

The minister said the ministry had established the National
Social Register (NSR) aimed at capturing in details the data on all
poor and vulnerable citizens in the country, adding, “So far,
nearly 30 million individuals have been registered nationwide.”

The forum further examined the inextricable linkage between
environmental degradation, security and conflict for resource use
and management. It called for a National Forestry and Biodiversity
Summit and urged the Federal Ministry of Environment to provide
leadership for its convocation.

The forum urged state governments to strengthen their various
forestry services especially, by prioritising sustainable forest
management practices, developing and adhering to forest management
plans, and strengthening the state forestry services. It appealed
to the federal government to support the Federal Ministry of
Environment in undertaking a comprehensive forest resources
assessment.

A joint operation to deliberately deny criminals room for
manoeuvre and change of locations and hideouts has been approved by
a forum of prominent state players as part of a new initiative to
curb the growing insecurity in the country.

Key actors, who endorsed the move, include Secretary to the
Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha; National
Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno; and Inspector General of
Police Mohammed Adamu. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster
Management and Social Development (FMHADM&SD), Sadiya Umar
Farouk; Minister of Environment, Dr. Abubakar Mahmood; and the 36
Secretaries to the State Governments also approved the new
operation.

The resolution was part of the decisions reached at the first
quarter regular meetings by the Forum of Secretary to the
Government of the Federation with Secretaries to the State
Governments, which held virtually on Thursday.

According to a communiqué issued yesterday, the meeting urged
the Secretaries to the State Governments to explore possibilities
of joint operations by states to prevent free movements by
criminals between states.
“This is to avoid bandits moving from areas of hot pursuit to other
areas and returning, when the heat is down,” the communiqué
stated.

Themed, “Role of Secretaries to the State Governments in
Strengthening Sub-National Level Security Architecture,” the
meeting was chaired by Mustapha in company with other
stakeholders.

The forum called on the federal government to strengthen border
controls in order to check illegal immigrants and influx of weapons
from other countries. It emphasised the need to resuscitate
community-driven safety measures and address existing trust
deficits to encourage willingness to release information to state
security agencies.

“The meeting emphasised the need to recalibrate our traditional
governance systems to the time-tested and proven method of
responsiveness to civil society at the local levels, which hitherto
prevailed in the country,” the communiqué stated.

The forum said there was need to automate the national security
architecture and provide adequate resources for personnel,
equipment, and operations. It highlighted the need to improve the
current low police to population ratio and imbibe community
policing. It reiterated the need for appropriate public
enlightenment to raise security awareness among the citizenry.

The meeting equally recognised the coordinating role of the
Secretaries to the State Governments and called on them to
strengthen non-kinetic approaches, especially, by establishing a
community level early warning systems.

The forum also noted progress made in strengthening federal and
state governments’ relationship in delivering poverty eradication
initiatives and called for sustenance and scaling up in view of the
growing poverty situation in the country.

Farouk disclosed that there was an on-going high-level
consultation to establish structures that would ensure that all
agencies responsible for implementing poverty eradication
programmes/projects cooperated. The consultation is also to ensure
that the agencies are well coordinated to share experiences, share
data and complement each other for effectiveness, better deployment
of resources, and higher poverty reduction impacts, she said.

Farouk said at the federal level, there will be National Poverty
Eradication Cooperation and Coordinating Committee (NPCCC) chaired
by her. She explained that at the state level, there would also be
a Poverty Eradication Cooperation and Coordination Committee
(SPCCC), under the Offices of the SSGs, aimed at achieving similar
objectives.

The minister said the ministry had established the National
Social Register (NSR) aimed at capturing in details the data on all
poor and vulnerable citizens in the country, adding, “So far,
nearly 30 million individuals have been registered nationwide.”

The forum further examined the inextricable linkage between
environmental degradation, security and conflict for resource use
and management. It called for a National Forestry and Biodiversity
Summit and urged the Federal Ministry of Environment to provide
leadership for its convocation.

The forum urged state governments to strengthen their various
forestry services especially, by prioritising sustainable forest
management practices, developing and adhering to forest management
plans, and strengthening the state forestry services. It appealed
to the federal government to support the Federal Ministry of
Environment in undertaking a comprehensive forest resources
assessment.