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Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, says only God can ultimately bring an end to Nigeria’s insecurity challenges.
Nigeria is witnessing a resurgence of insecurity, with killings and abductions across parts of the country, including recent incidents in Oyo and Borno, between May 15 and 17.
Daily Trust had reported how gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and abducted 39 students and seven teachers.
In Borno, armed groups attacked schools in Mussa, Askira-Uba Local Government Area, abducting 42 pupils.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, Matawalle said insecurity remains a national challenge that requires collective efforts from both security agencies and citizens to overcome.
He urged Nigerians to support security agencies and pray for peace while warning politicians against exploiting the situation for political gain.
“It’s disheartening, and we must all rise to ensure that security agencies and Nigerians work together to end insecurity in the country. Insecurity does not discriminate based on political affiliation or religion. It can affect anyone.
“That is why we have urged the opposition to stop using insecurity to incite people. It is a challenge that can happen to anyone, and no Nigerian is happy about it. Unfortunately, some members of the opposition appear pleased with the situation. They do not care about the people. What matters to them is portraying the government as a failure for their own political interests and deceiving people into believing they alone can end insecurity.
“It is only God that can bring to an end to this insecurity, alongside our collective prayers and efforts. It should not be used as a tool to condemn others or score political points.” he said.
According to him, old and misleading videos were being circulated on social media by some people to suggest the failure of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Noting that insecurity is not an isolated case with Nigeria, Matawalle assured that security operatives are working round the clock to crush terrorists unleashing attacks in parts of the country.
“There are fake and recycled videos being circulated, some dating back to the Jonathan administration and others from countries such as Burkina Faso and Mali, yet they are being presented as incidents that occurred under this administration. That is not true.
“Our security operatives are working tirelessly across the country. We have directed them to decisively with terrorists, but this is not a challenge that can disappear overnight. Even some of the world’s powerful nations have battled insecurity for years and are still confronting it.
“We ask Nigerians to continue praying for us and supporting efforts to bring this challenge to an end.”e to serve.” he explained.
