Speaking during an interactive session with newspaper editors, recently, Yahaya stated that military operation across the troubled zones of the country had improved this year as a result of tough choices made by President Muhammadu Buhari.
His words: “Military operations have improved this year because of the tough choices and decisions the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces made in the last 12 months; especially regarding defence-related investments. However, national security and defence should not be the responsibility of only the military.
“Research has proven that the military line of operation is less than 20 per cent of what is required to achieve complete peace. For instance, the military is sometimes called when there are cult-related threats and attacks; but let us not forget that the causes and sources of cultism should also be identified. It is an all of society approach that is required to achieve peace in our nation.”
Yahaya noted that terrorists and terrorism thrive on publicity, warning Nigerians, especially journalists, not to align with the strategy of the terrorists.
“In 2022, many news consumers may even find it more difficult to differentiate between true and fake security stories. For instance, a while ago, we intercepted communication from a criminal gang that was part of an incident. This criminal gang was highly dissatisfied that the incident was not reported in the press. Terrorism thrives on the promotion of fear, especially the continuous coverage of terror incidents.
“More than ever before, it has become necessary for journalists not to unintentionally align with the strategy of the terrorists. It is not the military alone that is fighting terrorism; it is the country; so the solution should not be limited to only the military. Citizens can also assist by sharing information before incidents happen,” he added.
He revealed that synergy within the military was at its highest now, adding: “There is no time in recent history that it has been better than this. Every day, we raise our standards. President Reagan once said, ‘The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.’ Getting people to do the greatest things is what the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor have done differently.”
