Only God can bring insecurity to an end – Minister Matawalle

The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammad Matawalle, has observed that with the current security challenges bedeviling the country, only God can ultimately bring it to an end.

Nigeria has been witnessing a resurgence of insecurity for many years, with killings and abductions across parts of the country, displacing many from their ancestral homes.

Recall gunmen attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, abducting 39 students and seven teachers.

Also in Borno, armed groups attacked schools in Mussa, Askira-Uba Local Government Area, abducting 42 pupils.

But Matawalle, while speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa, explained that insecurity remains a national challenge that requires collective efforts from both security agencies and citizens to overcome.

He urged Nigerians to support the government, security agencies and pray for peace, warning politicians against exploiting the situation for political gain while causing untold hardship to majority of Nigerians.

He noted that it’s disheartening for the country to find itself in such situations, saying that all must rise to ensure that security agencies and Nigerians work together to end insecurity in the country.

He opined, “Insecurity does not discriminate based on political affiliation or religion. It can affect anyone.”

The Minister urged the opposition to stop using insecurity to incite people, stressing that it is a challenge that can happen to anyone, as no Nigerian is happy about it.

He lamented that some members of the opposition appear pleased with the situation as they do not care about the people, pointing out that what matters to them is portraying the government as a failure for their own political interests and deceiving people into believing they alone can end insecurity.

Matawalle emphasized, “It is only God that can bring an end to this insecurity, alongside our collective prayers and efforts. It should not be used as a tool to condemn others or score political points.”

He stressed that old and misleading videos were being circulated on social media by some people to suggest the failure of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, explaining that insecurity is not an isolated case with Nigeria, as the security operatives are working round the clock to crush terrorists unleashing attacks across the country.