Insecurity: I live with grief daily, Buhari confesses

President Muhammadu Buhari has decried the level of insecurity in the country but noted that his administration will leave no stone unturned to make sure that the 2023 general elections hold without any breach of peace.

The President said his heart grieves for the several persons who have fallen victims to acts of terrorism, insisting that efforts were on to free the abductees, especially those of the Abuja-Kaduna train attacks who are still under captivity.

The assurance came as part of the Democracy Day broadcast by the President on Sunday, morning.

According to the President, “I know many of us are concerned with the rise in insecurity due to terrorist activities in parts of the country. As a government, we are working hard to contain and address these challenges. And ensure that the 2023 general elections are safe and secure for all Nigerians.

“To achieve this however, we must all contribute. It is not the job of government alone. I ask all citizens to support and cooperate with our security agencies by reporting any suspicious characters and activities to law enforcement agencies. We can only have a safe country if we are able to prevent crime not after the crime has been committed.

“On this special day, I want us all to put all victims of terrorist activities in our thoughts and prayers. I am living daily with the grief and worry for all those victims and prisoners of terrorism and kidnapping. I and the security agencies are doing all we can to free those unfortunate countrymen and countrywomen safely.

“For those who have lost their lives, we will continue to seek justice for their families against the perpetrators. For those currently in captivity, we will not stop until they are freed, and their kidnappers are brought to justice. If we all unite, we will be victorious against these agents of terror and destruction.

“We have reformed some of our security structures. Some of the defence assets we procured three years ago have arrived and have been deployed.

“Our cyber security and surveillance systems are being upgraded to further enhance our ability to track and trace criminal elements. We are also recruiting and training new personnel across all our security and intelligence agencies to strengthen the country’s over-all security”.

Buhari also commented on the conclusion of party primaries in the country, which has produced respective flagbearers both at local and national levels, saying the level of decorum from all the political gladiators has been quite revealing and encouraging of our democratic journey over the years.

He adduced reasons why the Federal Government reviewed the Democracy Day from May 29 to June 12, saying it was in honour of the late MKO Abiola who sacrificed his life to birth a new Nigeria.

His words: “Fellow Nigerians, today, June the 12th, marks another Democracy Day anniversary and an occasion to celebrate freedom and unity of our nation.”

He added: “Fellow Nigerians this is my last Democracy Day speech as your President. By June 12th, 2023, exactly one year from today, you will already have a new President. I remain committed and determined to ensure that the new President is elected through a peaceful and transparent process.”

Speaking on the recently concluded primaries, he said: “Recently, all registered political parties conducted primaries to select their candidates for the 2023 general elections.

“These primaries were peaceful and orderly. Those who won were magnanimous in their victories. Those who lost were gracious in defeat. And those aggrieved opted to seek judicial justice as opposed to jungle justice.

“I followed the party primaries closely from the state level to the Presidential level. I was very impressed to see across all the political parties that, most candidates ran issued based campaigns. The language and tone throughout were on the whole measured and controlled.”

He continued: “I will conclude this Democracy Day speech, my last as President, by assuring you of my commitment to protect Nigeria and Nigerians from all enemies from within and outside. (Sunday Independent)