The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-West), Abdulillahi Yakassai, has said the ongoing insecurity in the country is depriving the President of sleep.
Yakassai made the remarks during an interview on The Morning Brief on Tuesday, highlighting the challenges the government faces in tackling insurgency.
“The security situation in some parts of the country has really been subdued, but there are some elements of new tactics coming up, like the one we see in Kwara State—very unfortunate. Even the president is having sleepless nights because every week you see him having a security council meeting in the Presidential Villa to see how to address this insecurity,” Yakassai said.
He noted that insurgents have adopted guerrilla warfare, making it more difficult for the government to contain attacks. “It’s very hard to tackle. We have come from a long-time crisis, and it has been happening, and you can’t just blame this government for it,” he added.
The presidential aide suggested that some elements are deliberately exploiting insecurity to tarnish the government’s image. “We cannot just say it is a coordinated insecurity situation. There are some elements that are against this government that are instigating this kind of insecurity issue just to give the new government a bad name,” he said.
Yakassai highlighted areas where security has improved, including the corridor between Abuja and Kaduna State, as well as Zamfara State, noting that the insurgents have shifted their activities to Niger State and Kwara State. He also mentioned that the newly appointed Inspector General of Police promptly visited Kwara State to assess the situation.
Despite the challenges, Yakassai expressed confidence that the government’s coordinated efforts will eventually reduce insecurity. “We know a lot needs to be done to curb this insecurity, and I believe with time, by God’s grace, if all hands are put on deck, it will continue to come down till we get to eliminate the insecurity situation,” he said.
