TheCable

Lucky Irabor, chief of defence staff, says the current state of insecurity in the country has made it necessary for the military to support community policing efforts.

Irabor spoke on Wednesday at an event organised by 21st century chronicle, held in Abuja.

According to him, soldiers have been  deployed across 36 states to support efforts to improve security.

“There is a community policing framework currently, but it has to be escalated,” he said.

“The NPF is already working on this to see how they could boost community policing mechanisms beyond what it is right now.

“Nigerians need to understand the basis of our involvement and the basis are internal confrontations.

“Of course, our constitution mandates the armed forces to play a supporting role to the civil authority — in this case the police — in circumstances that we have found ourselves.

“The manifestation of these insecurities have assumed such a proportion that the military will be at the forefront of addressing them.”

He also spoke on efforts of the military in the fight against insurgency, adding that LGAs previously under the control of insurgents in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states have been recovered.

“Looking at these issues, the military had to emplace measures by way of crafting operations to suit peculiarities of every geopolitical zone,” he said.

“We have operation Lafiya Dole now Hadin Kai in the north-east, Hadarin Daji in the north-west, and different operations in the north-central.

“There have been recovery of space. At the peak of insurgency, 14 local government areas, especially in Borno, were under the control of Boko Haram. But currently there is none under their control.

“Equally in Yobe, almost four local government areas were under the control of Boko Haram as well as in Adamawa but currently, Boko Haram is not in control of any local government area.

“We have recovered arms and ammunition, as well as arrest and surrender of Boko Haram terrorists.”