Insecurity: Seeking Foreign Support Doesn’t Mean We Lack Capacity – Sule

Seeking foreign support to tackle the myriad of security challenges in the country does not mean the Federal Government lacks the capacity to address the issue.

This is according to the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who said countries usually call for help during war situations.

Nigeria has been experiencing series of security challenges ranging from kidnappings to banditry, insurgency to militancy, armed robbery to cultism, calls for secession among several others.

In the past week, at least 239 people were killed and 44 others kidnapped in separate violent incidents across the country, mostly by armed non-state actors.

The violence is not limited to any state, ethnic group, or religion. It is a general problem that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is finding difficult to curb.

But speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Governor Sule even if foreign countries come in, will need to understand the nation’s environment.

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“A lot of people keep saying that we need outside support. Having outside support doesn’t necessarily mean that we don’t have the capacity. Most of the wars that have been fought in the world, a lot of countries ask for foreign support,” he said.

“Even if you bring somebody from outside, he has to understand your environment. Our (security) personnel understand our environment and they are doing the best they can do.”

The country has been battling terrorism for more than a decade which has killed 36,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands in the northeast.

The Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) split from the jihadist group Boko Haram in 2016 and has since become a dominant threat in Nigeria, attacking troops and bases while killing and kidnapping passengers at bogus checkpoints.

On March 1, jihadist fighters burnt down a United Nations humanitarian compound in the town of Dikwa after dislodging troops, killing six civilians.

Nigeria’s jihadist violence has spread to neighbouring Chad, Cameroon and Niger, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the insurgents.