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Tag: Babagana Monguno

  • Terror Alerts: Security Chiefs Urge Nigerians to go about businesses without fear

    Terror Alerts: Security Chiefs Urge Nigerians to go about businesses without fear

    The Federal Government has frowned at the travel advisories issued by some embassies to their personnel in Nigeria, urging Nigerians and other residents to go about their businesses without fears.

    The National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno, stated this when he addressed State House correspondents after an emergency security meeting summoned by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in Abuja.

    Monguno, who addressed the correspondents alongside the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyema and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, noted that the travel advisories had created unnecessary fear and apprehension among Nigerians.

    He added that the terror alert was needless as the hype and the sense of insecurity it created were unfounded.

    According to him, security and intelligence agencies are not resting on their oars to ensure that all Nigerians and every part of the country remains safe.

    ”From the time this alarm story came out until now, about a week to 10 days, we can see that so far, the situation has been brought under control.

    ”The issue of Nigerians being made to panic is unnecessary, the situation in various areas, the federal capital territory, the situation has been brought under control.

    ”We are trying as much as possible to work with our neighbours and within the domestic situation to work with our foreign partners in a responsible way without giving the impression that Nigeria is stetting on thin ice to explored.

    ”That has come to dispel any illusion about any sense of heightened insecurity.

    ”It is false, it is irresponsible for anybody to give that signal. We are working with our foreign partners in a responsible way and Nigerians should go back to their normal daily undertakings without being put in a situation of fear.”

    Also addressing the correspondents, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, called on citizens to ignore the security threat and travel advisory recently issued by the US and UK, and continue with their daily routines.

    Onyeama emphasised that the threat and advisory were mainly issued to the citizens of the countries that originated them.

    He observed that it had been the norm for US to make such pronouncements to its citizens, as dictated by their constitution, just as she almost simultaneously did in South Africa.

    ”Nigeria has been engaging the United States (US) on intelligent sharing, ” It’s been the norm for US to make such pronouncement.

    ”We engage the US from this, and their response was that they are obliged to put out those kinds of statements, normally travel advisories.

    ”But in this case, it was an alert, but they said that they were obliged to, for their citizens, and that the advice, you know, the alert was really, for their citizens.

    ”They do it around the world, as you know, they did it also in South Africa, in this particular case,” he said.

    Also allaying the fears of Nigerians occasioned by the terror alert, the Chief of Defence Staff, said security agencies had been on their toes to thwart all threats.

    Those in attendance of the meeting included Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Boss Mustapha; the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and the National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj-Gen. Babagana Monguno.

    The  Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao and the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Maj Gen. Samuel Adebayo also attended the meeting.

    Also in attendance were the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Baba;the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai.

  • NSA Names Three Islamic Groups Supporting Terrorist Organisations

    NSA Names Three Islamic Groups Supporting Terrorist Organisations

    The National Security Adviser (NSA), Retired Major-General Babagana Monguno, has named three groups supporting terrorist organisations in the Sahel region.

    Monguno identified Jama’at Nasr al-Islam Wal Muslimin, JNIM, Islamic and Muslim Support Group, and Islamic State in Greater Sahara, ISGS, as organizations behind terrorism in Nigeria and Africa.

    The retired Major General disclosed this while speaking at the 14th Workshop of the League of Ulamas, Preachers and Imams of Sahel countries in Abuja on Tuesday.

    According to Monguno: “Terrorism and the rapid escalation of violent activities by militant Islamist groups in the Sahel since 2016 have been primarily driven by the Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS), which mainly operates in Mali and extends to the Niger Republic and Burkina Faso.

    “It is bolstered by activities of groups such as Jama’at Nasr al-Islam Wal Muslimin (JNIM), the Islamic and Muslim Support Group (GSIM) and ISGS, which have continued to pose an imminent threat to the stability of the region.

    “In Nigeria, Boko-Haram and Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) dominate terrorist activities, especially in the North-Eastern part of the country.

    “The situation in the Sahel has never been grimmer, extremist violence continues to spread; the number of internally displaced persons (IDPS) is growing; and food insecurity is affecting more people than ever before.”

  • Insecurity: FG Will Not Be Blackmailed, No Dialogue With Bandits – NSA

    Insecurity: FG Will Not Be Blackmailed, No Dialogue With Bandits – NSA

    The National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno says the Federal Government will apply its full weight to deal with the criminals and will not be blackmailed by any group of people into negotiating with those who threaten the nation’s peace.

    The NSA who spoke on Thursday at a State House briefing in Aso Villa, Abuja, said the present administration is not interested in negotiation with bandits, terrorists, and other criminal elements terrorizing the country.

    He argued that dialoguing with insurgents paints the government as weak and incapable.

    “The government is tackling the problem of insecurity, we’ve said this many times that there are two phases in solving this problem –the soft approach: talking, negotiating, and so on and so forth.

    “While the government is not averse to talking to these entities, these human beings, I have to be very honest, the government has to apply its weight, that force that is required because you can’t even talk with people who are unreliable people, who will turn out to do a different thing and people who will continue to hurt society.

    “So, basically, what the government wants to rely upon is to deal with this issue by using all the assets – military assets, intelligence assets to eliminate these people,” the NSA said.

    He added that “If along the line, some of them are ready to come out and talk and negotiate, when the time comes, we will do that but for now, we can’t keep on dwelling on ‘Let’s dialogue’.

    “Psychologically, it is not even good for us, it paints the picture of weakness, it paints the picture of incapacity and I, just like the governor of Kaduna State said, do not see any reason why we cannot, with what we have, deal with these elements.

    “These are not people who are looking for anything that is genuine (or) legitimate; these are people who are just out to perform atrocities, to take calculated measures to inflict pain, violence on people.

    “At the slightest opportunity, they go haywire. And so, it is important for us to realize that we are dealing with people who are not looking for anything, people who without provocation will give birth to their homicidal instincts. We must deal with them the way they have to be dealt with.”

    Monguno said further that Nigeria is faced with a new type of (asymmetrical) war, adding that issues of a gross deficiency in equipment and lack of personnel have played a part in the way things are at the moment.

    He, however, believes that the change of security chiefs brings a ray of hope and will help fix all lapses that may exist.

  • BREAKING: Zamfara Assembly passes Vote Of No Confidence on NSA, Babagana Monguno

    BREAKING: Zamfara Assembly passes Vote Of No Confidence on NSA, Babagana Monguno

    The Zamfara state House of Assembly has passed a vote of no confidence on the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno over what they described as poor handling of security issues in the state.

    The lawmakers in apparent rejection of the no fly zone order imposed on the state and total ban on mining activities, said the Federal government’s decision was wrongly taken.

    In a press statement signed by Spokesperson of the House, Ja’afaru Mustapha Kaura, the House wants the federal government to rescind the decisions to avoid further impoverishing the citizens.

    They also call on the federal government to review the security architecture of all security agencies in the state, and probe those allegedly undermining the ongoing peace process there.

    The lawmakers are also accusing the National Security Adviser for not properly handling the precarious security challenges in the country, especially the state which they say he has never visited.