Terrorism: Nigeria needs global support, says Lai Mohammed

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lai Mohammed, has said the country has been at the mercy of terrorists because it is being denied the purchase of needed weapons to fight insurgency.

He said the country would need global partners and support to defeat the terrorists and stamp out insurgency from the country.

He made the statements on Monday in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, during a visit to Governor Samuel Ortom against the killing of 43 farm workers in Borno on Saturday by suspected Boko Haram insurgents.

The minister lamented the killing of the 43 farmers in Zabarmari, Jere Local Government Area of Borno State and stressed that the government would not relent in its efforts to protect the lives and properties of all Nigerians.

He said, “We will never stop protecting lives and livelihood of the people, but you must understand that we are also dealing with terrorists who are financed globally and we also need more support from global partners.

“For instance, Nigeria has made attempts to acquire better and more effective platforms to deal with terrorists and for one reason or the other we have been denied these platforms and these weapons. And without adequate weapons and platforms, we will remain at the mercy of terrorists.

“But you see you must be also able to look at the strategy of the terrorists. You see, terrorists also use media and publicity as oxygen. So when they go on this kind of mindless killing of innocent people, it is just that a dying terrorist group will now suddenly again spring to life.

“It does not mean that the government is not doing enough; terrorism in Africa and any other place in the world has the same concept, which is, you have a group of people who are extremists in their thoughts, who don’t believe that you and I should be alive.”