In a surprisingly crowded week, President Muhammadu Buhari vows to sustain the nation’s democratic order and do the needful in terms of ensuring that governorship election holds in Anambra on Nov. 6.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had threatened to lockdown the entire Southeast for six days if its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is not released unconditionally before Nov. 4.
However, the Federal and Anambra state governments had since dismissed the threat, assuring that nothing would stop the conduct of the election on Nov. 6.
President Buhari made the federal government’s position known when he presided over meeting of the National Security Council at the State House, Abuja, on Oct. 21.
The National Security Adviser to the President, retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Mongonu, who addressed State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, also announced the killing of Malam Bako, the successor of Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, the leader of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP).
NAN reports that the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor had on Oct. 14 confirmed the death of Abu Musab.
Irabor said: “I can authoritatively confirm to you that Abu Musab is dead. He is dead and remains dead.’’
However, Mongonu disclosed that Abu Musab’s successor, Malam Bako was also neutralized along with a prominent member of the ISWAP.
He said: “The fact again is that the armed forces, the land forces have done an excellent job because in the span of one month we have been able to take out the leadership of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) – that is Abu Musab Al-barnawi.
“Two days ago, the man who succeeded him, one Malam Bako, one of the prominent leaders of the Shura Council of the Islamic State of West African Province, was also taken out.
“They are also contending with leadership crisis. You know these things are also accompanied with inherent issues of trust, conflicts, mutual suspicion and other things.
“So, the operations being conducted by the armed forces in the Northern parts of the country put a lot of pressure on the Islamic State of West African Province, Boko Haram and also the tangential group known as Islamic State in the Greatest Sahara.’’
On the forthcoming Nov. 6 Anambra governorship election, the NSA said the President enjoined the security agencies to stamp their feet of authority and ensure the success of the election.
Monguno said the president was reacting to the heightened security challenges in Anambra, orchestrated by the proscribed IPOB.
“The President has directed that under no circumstances will anything be allowed to stop the elections from taking place successfully. The people have a right to vote and select their leader.
“No group or individual will be allowed to stimulate anarchy and chaos, leading to murderous activities.
“The President has made it very clear that the Armed Forces and all law enforcement agencies must make sure that the elections take place even if it means overwhelming the entire environment with the presence of security personnel”, he said.
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