The nation’s top security officers have urged Nigerians to see the ongoing efforts to defeat kidnapping, banditry and other forms of insecurity affecting the country as a collective endeavour that requires their inputs.
They made the call yesterday in Abuja at the seventh annual Ramadan Lecture Series and Prayers for the nation, with the theme ‘Balancing Religious Rites and Public Safety: The Intersection of Ramadan, Hajj and National Security’.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, represented by the Director, Support Services, Defence Headquarters, Maj-Gen. Olatokunbo Bello, said while the nation’s armed forces and other security agencies are working assiduously to tame insecurity, Nigerians should play their part by supporting government, and shunning acts capable of worsening the situation or undermining the security architecture of the country.
The founder of the foundation and Chief Imam of Nasirul-Lahi-Li-Fatih, Society of Nigeria (NASFAT), Abuja, Sheik Sharafudeen Abdulsalam Aliagan, said the foundation was committed to the security and development of Nigeria and that this informed the choice of the multi-dimensional topic.
On his part, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Bala Hasan Abubakar, represented by the Director Islamic Affairs, Nigeria Air Force Headquarters, Air Commodore Lawal Lukman, said the fight against insurgents and tackling other forms of insecurity is a collective responsibility to protect the citizenry against all forms of harm.
Also, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, represented by the Director of Policy, Naval Headquarters, Rear Admiral Malami Haruna Rasheed, said the operational environment indicates that the Nigerian Armed Forces must remain resolutely determined to achieve the objective of restoring normalcy in the nation.
The duo of the National Chief Imam, Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Sheikh Fuad Adeyemi; and the Imam of Nawar-ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, Abuja Branch and HoD, Law and International Department, Baze University, Abuja, Dr Nurein Dindi, urged Nigerians, to use the Ramadan occasion to seek Allah’s help in overcoming the nation’s multiple challenges.
