On Sunday, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Lucky Irabor revealed how security operatives averted what could have been Nigeria’s worst-ever incident.
General Irabor made the announcement during an appearance on Channels Television’s special programme “Democracy Day: Giving Nigerians Hope.”
The disaster was averted in Kano State the same week gunmen opened fire on worshippers at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, according to him.
The Chief of Defence Staff emphasised that Nigeria’s security situation has improved over the last year, and that the incident in Owo does not change that.
“Perhaps you are unaware that just a week after the Owo incident, in Kano, for example, given the intelligence available to security agencies, we were able to thwart what would have been our country’s most catastrophic incident,” Irabor said.
“In that operation, we recovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs) making materials,” he explained.
“We seized a large quantity of arms, ammunition, and other materials, which the criminals intended to use in various parts of the country, including Abuja,” he said. The fact that the Owo incident occurred does not imply that no progress has been made.
“Let me state that this is a process, and if you look at the war stage in any country around the world, you will find incidents of violence and criminality in some form.”
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The attack, according to General Irabor, is one of many similar crimes committed by terrorists who, he claims, will be expelled from the country.
He emphasised that the security forces have done a good job in securing the country, even though they are working to make it a crime-free society.
The defence chief appealed for Nigerians’ and relevant stakeholders’ help in combating insecurity, urging them to concentrate on the important issues.
“I’ll say a lot has happened; there’s been a lot of improvement in terms of the armed forces and other security agencies doing everything they can to bring peace to the country’s various troubled regions.”
“I can tell you that we’ve made a lot of progress from last year to now, from the North-East to the North-West, North-Central, South-South, South-East, and South-West.” Of course, there is still a long way to go in terms of dealing with the nuances of insecurity in Nigeria,” he said.
