From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
Gombe State Governor Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya has called for a new approach to combat security challenges in the country, saying the situation needs more collaboration and synergy with all segments of the Nigerian population.
The governor, decrying the level of insecurity in the country, stated that Nigeria is overwhelmed by cases of kidnappings, banditry, cattle rustling and the crisis of different proportions. According to him, ‘if we are not careful enough to make sure we address these issues from escalating, there would be no peace in the future.’
Governor Yahaya stated this during a courtesy visit by the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar, on Tuesday in Gombe. He added that the state is ready, open and willing to welcome initiatives aimed at achieving peace for the good of Nigerians and that the state government would continue to support the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to ensure success in the quest for solutions to the country’s security crisis.
While commending efforts of the CAS and NAF in ensuring the speedy completion of the 203 Combat Reconnaissance Base in the state, Governor Yahaya assured that the base would help in the fight against insecurity in the country and that when it is achieved the economy of the country would also improve.
On his part, the CAS said that with the collaboration between the Force and other security services and with the activation of the base in Gombe, the fight against Boko Haram and other criminal is close to an end.
According to him, the seventy-one NAF personnel sent for special training in China are almost set for return and that their arrival would give the fight a major boost. The CAS said that the personnel who had been in China for about four months would be deployed and relocated to the base in Gombe upon return to the country next week.
He described the combat reconnaissance group as a strategic unit not only in the fight against insurgency but also against banditry and other criminal activities in the North East and the country in general, as he assured that the NAF would continue to do everything ‘humanly possible to ensure that the territorial integrity of Nigeria and its national sovereignty is not undermined by any bunch of criminals.
‘We will continue working round-the-clock to make sure that Nigeria is secure and people are able to go about pursuing their legitimate aspirations without fear,’ the CAS stated.
