Evolve New Security Strategies, Defence Minister Tasks Military, Others

Evolve New Security Strategies, Defence Minister Tasks Military, Others

Evolve New Security Strategies, Defence Minister Tasks Military, Others

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd), yesterday challenged security agencies in the country to rise up to the task of containing the emerging security threats bedeviling the country.

He said the agencies must explore all avenues within their respective systems to develop new ways of identifying and confronting the challenges facing the nation.

Speaking at the 2019 Defence Attaches conference in Abuja, the minister said security challenges facing the country showed new trends that must be tackled with new ideas.

He said the situation required synergy, collaboration and coordination in order to be surmounted.

“A look at the security challenges bedeviling Nigeria today reveals a new threat from what it used to be.

“Beyond the North-east, other contemporary security threats ranging from kidnapping, cattle rustling, farmers/headers clashes and associated banditry have continued to threaten the peace and security of the nation”, he said.

He said the situation “implies that various security agencies in the country must continue to collaborate in tackling these challenges.

“It also means that the security agencies must explore all avenues within their respective systems to develop new ways of identifying and confronting the challenges bothering us as a nation”.

The defence minister said the security threats underscored the need for increased coordination, cooperation, collaboration and synergy among security agencies in order to create an enabling environment for economic growth and development as well as the preservation of our democracy.

“There is no doubt that the Defence Advisers/Attaches system plays crucial roles in confronting Nigeria’s security challenges in furtherance of national development.

“It is for this reason that I find the theme of the 2019 Defence Advisers/Attaches Annual Conference which is ‘Enhancing Inter Agency Collaboration in Response to Current and Anticipated Threats in Nigeria’s Security Environment: Role of the Defence Attaché System,’ as timely and very apt”, he said.

Magashi urged the conference to take advantage of the opportunity provided to harness the potentials of the defence attaché system in order to effectively contribute to the country’s security efforts.

In his remarks, Chief of Defence Intelligence, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Sani Usman, disclosed that the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has crafted several Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with relevant partners in Nigeria and across the world to increase “our intelligence sharing, capacity building, visibility on anticipated threats and a better understanding of the global security landscape”.

“These agreements have also allowed Nigeria unprecedented access to information, cooperation and freedom of action in our region.

“All these efforts will collectively allow us serve our country better with the right intelligence at the right time”, he said.

He said the agency had undergone a “smart re-organisation with senior staff moved into designated intelligence specialties in line with their core competencies”.

“It matters profoundly to our armed forces that we provide top quality intelligence to enable quick and decisive decision making, leading to desirable results. We need to also understand what the consequences of failure to act would be”.

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