WORRIED about the danger posed by the spate of insecurity in parts of the country, security experts and the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have requested the Federal Government to take urgent steps to reevaluate the approach to resolving the issue.While the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON) has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to desist from any supposed attempt to negotiate with any terrorist group, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have sought the government's intervention, as the insecurity was robbing students of peaceful learning environment.The students, told the Minister of Education Minister, Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufai in Abuja that the students constitute a larger population in the wanton killings in Jos, and other North East states.The NANS Senate President, Kolade Olaoluwa who led a delegation bemoaned the Jos bombings and clashes. He said: 'Early yesterday morning two students were killed in Jos. Their death sparked off protests in the most campuses.'The Minister said: 'Government commiserates with all Nigerian students on the loss of lives of some of our undergraduates and Youth Corp members in this crisis. We are aware of the fact that no country develops when there is one problem or the other.'She said government was also keen on creating job opportunities for the teaming youths, but that youths should be more entrepreneur oriented, since it was now becoming difficult to get desired jobs.The president of AISSON Ona Ekhomu urged President Jonathan that rather than negotiating, the government should increase intelligence gathering through the use of reward via money.While condemning the killing of two foreign hostages in Sokoto by Boko Haram fighters, the security expert described the execution of the foreign engineers as a terrorist act that was capable of labeling the country as unsafe.Ekhomu said that the rescue effort didn't fail for lack of diligence and brilliance, but, 'it was because the fate of the hostages was sealed by Boko Haram commanders who ordered their execution once security forces stormed the hideout.'Ekhomu in a statement yesterday, praised the courage, professionalism and dedication of agents of the British Special Boat Service and Nigerian security that collaborated in the multinational rescue effort. He said that the bloodthirsty Boko Haram members foretold the tragic outcome of the rescue attempt. He urged Nigerians not to be deceived by the denial of responsibility by some element of Boko Haram.'The denial was a feeble attempt to deflect criticism because Europeans were killed in the abduction saga. Boko Haram started its murderous campaign with AK47 rifles and graduated to Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), and now added to kidnap, murder to their terrorist tool kit,' he said.Ekhomu advised the government to engage in an implacable pursuit of the enemy terrorists and urged the government to increase intelligence gathering through the use of reward money. He also counseled an arms buy back program for the North East zone urging the government to offer N50, 000 for each AK47 rifle turned in.
Click here to read full news..
