The Director General of the National Orientation Agency, Mr. Mike Omeri, has said the Federal Government’s priority is to rescue all Nigerians that are in the captivity of Boko Haram insurgents.
In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Omeri, who coordinates the National Information Centre, NIC, said the insurgents could never win the war against Nigeria and urged them to surrender as some of their comrades had done.
The statement reads: “The NIC appeals to sponsors and agents of insurgency and terrorism in Nigeria to see the wisdom of abandoning its fight against our people by immediately surrendering to security forces in the manner others have done in Konduga. They should know that they can never win this war.
“In this regard, we once again wish to reinforce government greater interest in the rescue of all persons and communities that are being traumatised by the callous act of insurgency and assure Nigerians that concerted efforts are being marshalled to ensure a return to normalcy in the affected communities”.
Mr. Omeri hailed Nigerians for their cooperation with the security forces, adding that the fight against insurgency was going on as planned.
He said, “Although there were intense fighting in parts of Adamawa, especially in Michika and Bazza among other areas, it must be noted that the military action in the North east to flush out insurgents is going on according to operational plans and the security forces have been recording tremendous gains in recent weeks.
“Arising from the massive security awareness programme put in place by the Federal government; this year’s Eid el Adha celebration was marked with joy and calm across the country.
“Except for isolated cases that were nipped in the bud, this period was generally calm and encouraging. The NIC continues to urge Nigerians to be observant and security conscious because it is with active involvement of the citizens that we can avert danger and stop evil”.
The NOA boss enjoined Nigerians to report suspicious persons and movements to nearby security agencies or simply send text messages to 112, a special security code meant to pass information to the security forces.