The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has stated that one of the cardinal programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was to tackle insecurity across the country.
The minister stated this during his remarks at the Special Town Hall meeting which held in Katsina State.
He said: “Whether it is Boko Haram, banditry, kidnapping, cattle-rustling or armed robbery, the administration has faced the challenges posed by insecurity with grit and determination.”
According to the minister, the Federal Government is unrelenting in tackling insecurity challenges, “because without peace and security, there can be no development.
“Here in the North-west, the security challenges – Banditry, Cattle Rustling and Kidnapping – have been unique and daunting.
“The deadly attacks that claimed lives and destroyed property were daily making headline news all over the country.
“At a stage, the situation became so bad in some of the states in the North-west that many felt they were intractable.
“But thanks to the unrelenting efforts of the Federal government as well as the determination and innovative efforts of the governments of the affected states, there has been a remarkable improvement, and peace and security are gradually returning to the worst-hit states.
“Unfortunately, the progress that has been made in combating banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping has not made the kind of headlines that the security challenges were making at their peak,” the minister added.
The minister stated that this edition of the Town Hall meeting was unique as this is the first time Governors from the APC and the PDP featured as panelists.
“Today’s Town Hall Meeting is very unique. Since we started in 2016, this is the first time that we are having Governors from the APC and the PDP as panelists.
“This is first a testimony to the fact that this Federal Government does not play politics with the security and welfare of citizens.”
Earlier in his welcome address, Governor Aminu Masari, disclosed that his government is spending at least N80million monthly in the provision of logistics for the various security agencies fighting insecurity in the state.
The governor said these monies were expended to aid the activities of Operation Puff Adder and Operation Sharan Daji, a joint operation comprising the military, police, SSS, and Civil Defense.
Blueprint reports that the meeting was attended by the Ministers of Defence and Interior, Bashir Magashi and Rauf Aregbesola.
Others in attendance included Governors Aminu Tambuwal and Bello Matawalle of Sokoto and Zamfara States.
