How I stopped Boko Haram in Niger –Aliyu
Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu said at the weekend that he prevented Boko Haram from having a base in Niger State by sacking the Darul Salam sect in 2010.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Israel A. Ebije, the governor said he was proactive in sacking Darul Islam sect from their Mokwa base, where “at least the key leaders of the dreaded Boko Haram were once encamped”.
According to the statement, Aliyu, who spoke at the 22nd graduation ceremony of the Adesoye College in Offa, Kwara State, said governors must take security issues seriously.
He maintained that once the sect members comprising of Nigerians from different states and aliens were dislodged from Niger, it was the duty of their states of origin to put them on security watch.
“We were proactive in managing Boko Haram insurgents from having a base in Niger State. Imagine having Boko Haram in the middle of Nigeria? A governor must at all times seek ways of protecting the lives and property of people in his state. Security challenge, therefore, does not occur just like that. It takes the indulgence of some elites who are desperate in gaining political advantage. It is the thugs they engage that are causing the nation serious security challenges,” he said.
While calling on Nigerian leaders to imbibe the culture of practicing true democracy devoid of thuggery, he urged schools to build people with moral chastity.
He also charged institutions of learning to focus more on instilling moral ethos in young Nigerians towards engendering security preparedness and inspiring good leadership. The governor maintained that all hands must be on deck to end the insecurity problem in the country.