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Nigeria’s Minister of Defence Christopher Musa has urged governors and lawmakers to stop distributing motorcycles as palliatives because terrorists could exploit them.
Musa made the call on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television about efforts to tackle terrorism and security challenges.
He said motorcycles given to beneficiaries sometimes end up with terrorists, giving them greater mobility across difficult terrain.
“We try to appeal to even governors to stop giving motorcycles out as palliatives. Because these motorcycles are the same ones that still end up with these terrorists,” Musa said.
He advised authorities that, when distributing motorcycles, they should provide smaller-capacity models that terrorists would find difficult to use for rapid movement.
The minister also warned that motorcycles distributed through constituency projects and other programmes by lawmakers could eventually reach bandits and terrorists.
“Those bikes… before you know it, it’s already get back to the bandits and that’s what they’re using. So we must stop that, we must be able to identify markets,” he said.
Musa said security agencies had identified illegal markets and illicit motor parks as routes used by terrorists to move arms and ammunition into areas where they operate.
“What we realize from experience is they establish illegal markets or illicit motor parks. They go to those motor parks, that’s where they move arms and ammunition into those areas,” he said.
The minister also called for greater involvement of local governments in tackling insecurity, saying their closeness to communities gives them an advantage in identifying criminals.
“Failure of local government is what is aggravating what we’re dealing with, and if we want better solution, quick fix, our local governments must work,” Musa said.
He added that “crime and development is local” and urged local government chairmen to take greater responsibility for security within their communities.
Musa said local government chairmen should hold weekly security meetings, monitor developments and report criminal activities in their areas.
“I told them they have a lot to do. Weekly, they’re supposed to be engaged in their security issues, be able to have their own meetings on weekly basis and be reporting, because they know the criminals. They know their hiders, they know these things,” he said.
He further urged state and local authorities to strengthen monitoring of markets, motor parks and other locations where drugs, weapons and ammunition could be transported.
“If we’re able to make sure that we man all the markets, all the motor parks, all these areas where drugs, weapons, ammunition will move, it will make it difficult for them. And once you’re able to apply that, they will fizzle out,” Musa said.
