Buhari to Obas: We’re deploying technology to tackle insecurity • To monitor forest with drones, highways to get CCTV
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday told Obas from the South West that his administration would deploy technology to tackle security challenges in the country.
Receiving the South West monarchs led by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, at the State House, Abuja, he said they are working with the state governments to equip the police force with advanced technology and equipment.
“We will be issuing directives to the appropriate federal authorities to speedily approve licensing for states requesting the use of drones to monitor forests and other criminal hideouts.
“We also intend to install CCTVs on highways and other strategic locations so that activities in some of those hidden places can be exposed, more effectively monitored and open to actionable review,” he said.
He said his administration will continue to do everything necessary to protect the lives of all Nigerians and ensure that every Nigerian in every state is safe.
The president also told the royal fathers that they will enforce the law, prosecute law breakers and secure an atmosphere of tranquility for all Nigerians wherever they choose to live and also protect communities from all forms of crimes.
While acknowledging the presence of security challenges in the South West and other parts of the country, President Buhari said such understanding informed the ongoing consultations embarked by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo with some traditional rulers to proffer solutions to the lingering security problems.
He disclosed his firm resolve to change the security architecture of the country.
“As the traditional authorities in your communities, government and the security agencies will be relying on you to monitor the several different communities and people coming in and out of your areas,” he said.
Earlier, the Ooni and the other traditional rulers had individually apprised the president with security challenges in their domain and called on the president to support their efforts in addressing the issues.
In an interview after the meeting, Ooni warned that, “if they want to start community policing and they give it to politicians, it is not going to work per say, that is why they are involving us.”
On the call for the Fulanis to leave Southwest, the monarch said: “Well, it’s because of the tension but this time around the traditional rulers have arrived at a resolution to ensure that will not happen. It is the bad ones that should be focused on. We all live in Nigeria, it is the bad ones that have come in from different borders that are porous, those are the ones we will focus on to separate the corn from wheat.
“We are saying the bad ones should leave, the bad ones can never stay, even Mr. President is with us on that. Even the Fulani clan do not want the bad ones to spoil their name. So many people are hiding under Fulanis to do evil now, so the bad ones must go.”