Sambo, security chiefs meet over violence in North

Heads of security agencies met in Abuja on Tuesday to review the security problems in Kaduna and Yobe States.

The meeting, which was held at the Presidential Villa, and presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo, was also attended by all the service chiefs, apart from the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar.

At the meeting were the National Security Adviser, Gen. Owoye Azazi; the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshall Oluseyi Petinrin; Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika and the Director-General of State Security Service, Mr. Ekpeyong Ita.

Others were the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshall Mohammed Umar, and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ola Ibrahim.

Azai said there was no iota of truth in the claim that the crisis in these two states had escalated, adding that even though it was serious before, the security agents were in control.

He also informed that the Governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Patrick Yakowa, was already discussing with religious leaders on how to end the crisis.

He said what should be paramount in the mind of Nigerians was how to extend the discussion to the national level.

He said the discussion in Kaduna was not late, adding that talking could never be late.

The NSA said, “Talking can never be late. Whatever is the situation, you have to end up talking. We want leaders to be proactive; we church leaders (have) to be proactive.

“We want youth leaders to be proactive to make sure that what you call reprisal doesn’t make sense to anybody. What we need to do is to be mindful that ‘look, somebody is killing somebody in Zaria and you are retaliating somewhere in Zonkwa.’ That is criminality.”