From Magnus Eze, Abuja
Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello, disclosed in Abuja, yesterday, how the military arrested four fleeing Boko Haram commanders in his state.
Bello said following the technical defeat of the Boko Haram in the North East, fleeing members have now found a haven in Kogi.
Bello made the disclosure in Abuja, when he spoke at the seventh edition of the National Security Seminar entitled: “Consolidating on the gains of counter-terrorism operations in Nigeria.”
He, however, warned that the insurgents have chosen a wrong place to hide because he is ready to collaborate with the military to rout them out of the state.
“Kogi is now a haven for Boko Haram, because many of them have relocated to my state. Just last night, four high profile Boko Haram members were arrested in Kogi by the military.
“I want to assure them that they have chosen a wrong place to relocate, because we will never allow them.
“We will work together with the armed forces to consolidate on the victory and gains recorded in the North East,’’ he said.
Kogi is the gateway to the northern and southern parts of Nigeria, which makes it attractive to the insurgents, said Bello. Also speaking at the event, yesterday, Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III recommended more political willpower in the fight against insurgency and corruption.
The monarch called on all elected public office holders to rise to the challenge and noted that numerous discussions on peace, security, stability and peaceful coexistence in the past were scarcely implemented due to lack of strength and political willpower.
In his remarks, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed bemoaned the taking over of the social media by purveyors of fake news, describing it as his major challenge.
Mohammed said the “phenomenon of fake news propagated majorly by the social media is so serious that it threatens to break the country rapidly, even more than insurgency’’.
The Sultan further insisted it was time to garner strength and willpower to implement findings from previous discussions.
He said: “I am back here again, discussing the same issue. What really is the problem? It is not lack of knowing what to do but that strength to implement things we are supposed to do.
“We must pay adequate attention to communication strategy and have our people who will be very active also on the social media.
“It is a front that has been largely neglected which we must now pay special and adequate attention to,’’ he said.
According to him, fake news phenomenon is a situation where someone or some persons will fabricate stories capable of setting one group or religion against the other and send them out through the social media.
Also speaking at the event yesterday, Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III recommended more political willpower in the fight against insurgency and corruption.
The monarch called on all elected public office holders to rise to the challenge and noted that numerous discussions on peace, security, stability and peaceful coexistence in the past were scarcely implemented due to lack of strength and political willpower.
The Sultan further insisted it was time to garner strength and willpower to implement findings from previous discussions.
He said: “I am back here again, discussing the same issue. What really is the problem? It is not lack of knowing what to do but that strength to implement things we are supposed to do.
“If we don’t implement them, we will still come back here to discuss the same things we have been discussing all over again. Unless we have that strength and willpower, especially political willpower of our political leaders, we will still continue to repeat the same things that have been discussed.”
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