APC chieftain urges service chiefs to get tougher on terrorists

Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, has called on Nigeria’s Service Chiefs to adopt a more ruthless approach in tackling violent crimes and terrorism across the country.

Speaking with journalists on Sunday in Osogbo, the former lawmaker and member of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) expressed deep concern over the recent surge in killings by suspected bandits in parts of Kwara, Borno, Zamfara, and Niger States.

He urged heads of security agencies to “take the bull by the horns” and deal decisively with the perpetrators and their sponsors.

Oyintiloye acknowledged that the security agencies had been making concerted efforts to curb insecurity but stressed that “more needs to be done” to eliminate the lingering threats.

He said many Nigerians still live in fear and uncertainty despite ongoing military operations against terrorist groups.

“There is no doubt that the Service Chiefs are doing their best to stop the killings by bandits, but they need to be more ruthless with them until insurgency is completely quenched in our land.

“They should also look inward to fish out those sabotaging their efforts within the system to restore public confidence in the nation’s security institutions”, Oyintiloye said.

He emphasised the importance of leveraging local intelligence networks to strengthen the fight against terrorism, noting that involving community stakeholders and local vigilante groups in intelligence gathering could help preempt attacks and disrupt the operations of criminal networks.

Oyintiloye also advised security agencies to target the financial structures supporting terrorist groups, saying that cutting off their funding sources would significantly weaken their capacity to operate.

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The APC chieftain commended President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly for their continued support and funding of the security sector, which he said has enhanced the ability of the military and police to combat violent crimes.

Expressing optimism about Nigeria’s ability to overcome its current security challenges, Oyintiloye said the war against terrorism and banditry could be won through “collective patriotism, honesty, and a positive mindset” among all Nigerians.

“With the cooperation of all stakeholders, and a sincere commitment from every Nigerian, our country will surely defeat the menace of insecurity,” he added.