From Desmond Mgboh, Kano

President Muhammadu Buhari has lauded his administration for significantly downgrading the threats posed by Boko Haram insurgency, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Eastern Security Network (ESN) and banditry in parts of the country.

Speaking at the Passing- out -Parade of the 4th Course Cadets of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil on Thursday, Buhari said that active normalcy has returned in most towns and villages previously under their threats even as he added that efforts were being made to secure other parts of the country where their threats persist.

While assuring that peace and security remained of utmost importance to his administration, Buhari held that his government has made progress in checking the tide of communal violence , farmers- herders clashes, cattle rustling as well as kidnapping in parts of the country.

Buhari also announced that the nation’s ranking on the global counter- terrorism index has improved from the 4th to 6th position on the list of the most terrorized nations of the world.

He therefore declared that, “Those who take laws into hands, those who bear arms illegally , who set out to profit from a climate of threat and insecurity would be dealt with decisively” the president pledged.

He said that all these accomplishments were made possible by the efforts of the members of the security agencies, including the officers of the Nigeria Police Force who have been fighting against the pervading situation.

He added with the take off of the Police Trust Fund, the Nigeria Police Force have experienced an upgrade of many of its infrastructure, saying new barracks have been constructed , older ones have been renovated, medical centers have been built in addition to the procurement of operational vehicles for the Police Force.

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He congratulated the 205 graduating cadet officers, their families and friends, saying that their sacrifices have yielded a positive result.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Commandant of the Academy, Assistant inspector General of Police (AIG) Abdulraham Ahmed said the Academy has boasted the nations security workforce with the training of 1748 officers in addition to the present batch of graduating officers.

He added that the graduates have been well trained to secure the territorial boundaries of the country and to preserve the lives and property of Nigerians, most especially at a time like now when the country was confronted with multifarious security challenges.

The Commandant acknowledged the support of stakeholders, including the Minister of Police Affairs, the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Federal Government through her agencies such as NUC NEEDS Assessment, Tertiary Education Trust Fund and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Despite these interventions, he disclosed that the Academy was short of staff, academic and non- academic, while appealing to the President to grant approval for the recruitment of more staffers in the Academy as all efforts to secure employment waivers from the office of the Head of Service of the Federation had failed.

He also drew the attention of the President to the challenges of the delay in the payment of the allowance of the cadets, lack of obstacle/ training facilities as well as lack of a central sewage system in the Academy.

He tasked the graduates to dedicate their self to the service of the nation even as he reminded them that much have been invested in them and much was expected of them.