President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration has “invested heavily” in re-equipping the Nigerian military towards tackling the country’s current security challenges.

 He has also said Nigeria will be seeking help from international countries in its bid to address insecurity.

Speaking on New Year’s Day, the President admitted that “persistent insecurity in certain parts of the country may have threatened to unravel the incremental gains” across different sectors of Nigeria’s economy.

“There is no doubt that the issue of security remains at the front burner of priority areas that this administration has given utmost attention to,” he said.

“As a follow-up to our promise to re-energize and reorganize the security apparatus and personnel of the armed forces and the police, it is on record that this administration has invested heavily in re-equipping our military in line with upgrading the platforms and firepower required to tackle the current challenges being faced in the country.

“The net results of these efforts have been the number of insurgents and bandits who have willingly surrendered to our Security Forces and continue to do so through various channels and the Safe Corridor created for that purpose.

“Government, however, realizes that victory on the battlefield is just one aspect of sustainable victory. We know that to fully win this war, we must also win the peace and real security lies in winning the hearts and minds of the affected citizens”.

“To this end, working with our international partners and neighbouring countries, we would be deploying multi-faceted solutions that will be targeted at addressing human security at the grassroots, before it leads to insecurity.”

Insurgency, banditry, and farmer-herder crisis remain the country’s top threats to security, as the proliferation of firearms from neighbouring countries continues to fuel public unrest across different states.

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In the midst of heightened security breaches, Aminu Masari, the Katsina State Governor, in December 2021, said he would support his citizens to procure ammunition in order to protect themselves.

Nigeria shares land borders with Benin Republic, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger and the maritime borders with Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Significantly, if the government collaborates with the security operatives in these countries, Nigeria would be able to curb infiltration and ultimately reduce terrorism.

In 2020, Idriss Deby, the former Chadian president launched the “Wrath of Bomo” operation to wipe away Boko Haram from Lake Chad.

The military operation was initiated after the terrorists killed over 90 Chadian soldiers.