The Director-General of the State Security Service (SSS), Ita Ekpeyon, claimed over the weekend at the official passing out parade and commissioning of 385 new officers of the service, that the SSS and other security outfits have succeeded in breaking the force of Boko Haram in the country.
The Director-General stated that “We can confidently say that we have decimated the terrorists’ top and middle level leadership, its foot soldiers, thereby dislodging its centre of gravity.”
He added that ‘There is no doubt that our strategies have invariably affected the cohesion of the group as well as the chain of command, to the level that the group, for now does not possess the capacity to direct and launch simultaneous attacks on several cities/targets in Nigeria as had been the situation in the past two years’.
“We intend to build and consolidate on our successes in this war against the terrorists in order to create a conducive environment for democracy and development,” he said.
Speaking about the new officers, he noted that “With the passing out and formal commissioning of these cadets, the Service has added to her pool, a crop of officers who have been trained to be loyal, dedicated and committed to the nation and the ideals of the Service.”
President Goodluck Jonathan’s representative at the event, Nyeson Wike, Hon. Minister of Education, stated at the occasion that the Federal Government has, between 2011 and 2013 spent over one billion naira on training and retraining of officers, and providing necessary equipment for the State Security Service.
Mr Wike then commended the D-G, SSS for putting the funds in good use and pointed out that the training and retraining of SSS officials is necessitated by the prevalent security situation in the country. Other governors at the occasion were Governors Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo) and Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom).
In a related development, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Onyeabor Azubuike Ihejirika, has said that the Nigerian Army will not rest on its oars until the activities of the Boko Haram sect, kidnapping and other violent crimes in the country have been effectively curbed.
Speaking at the 9th Nigerian Army Finance Corps Biennial conference 2003 in Umuahia, Ihejirika said “with the support of Mr President and the transformation the Nigerian Army was undergoing, let me assure that challenges of insecurity, including Boko Haran menace, kidnapping and threats of violent crimes will be stopped from rearing their ugly heads in the country.”
The Army chief, who was represented by the GOC, 82 Division, Major-General A.A.Olaniyi, assured that the Nigerian armed forces were on top of the security situation in the country contrary to what it was when the president declared the state of emergence four months ago, adding that the army was winning the war against terrorism.
The same way he issued a directive that issues of kidnapping and violent robberies be brought down in Abia State through the Operation Jubilee, which was achieved, is the same way the security challenges we are facing today will be brought down,” he said.
Abia State governor, Chief Theodore Orji, in his remarks, commended the Nigerian Armed forces for the dogged collaboration in blending the necessary force elements that assisted the state to banish kidnapping and kidnappers in the state.
