Osinbajo says security briefing a routine

…to brief Buhari on development

Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday said there was no point in misinterpreting the briefing the security briefings he received from the Service Chiefs and the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali as it was routine.

The Acting President disclosed that he will inturn brief President Myhammadu Buhari via a telephone call later in the evening on what transpired at the meeting .

This is his first security briefing since becoming acting president over 40 days ago.

Fielding questions from newsmen at the State House after a closed door session with the security heads

Osinbajo said the briefing was a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to end the various security challenges facing the country.

Asked if the security briefing was not an indication that President Muhammadu Buhari may not return anytime soon, ‎he replied, “No no no! Almost every month these briefings are held, it is routine and it is the president who puts in place this whole idea of regular briefing.

“It is even more important that we do so because of some of the issues arising like the cases of kidnappings and I wanted the IG to inform us fully. Besides, the President is a process person and certainly I am going to speak with him on developments here. So it is not an indication of anything. It is only an indication that we are committed ‎to the security of the nation. The primary duty of government is to ensure lives and properties and that is why we have to be regularly briefed. ‎The good thing is that our men are going extraordinarily well in the North East and that Southern Kaduna has also been contained. The peace building process is also going on very well.”, he said.

On a time frame when Boko Haram attacks will end based on the briefings received, the Acting President said, “As you know the Boko Haram as a military force has been degraded, they are not holding territory at the moment, our armed forces have been able to dislodge them from practically all territories they were holding in the past. What is happening now is just once in a while attacks by suicide bombers. By the nature of asymmetric warfare we are not able to say it has ended now but I think that militarily they have been contained, there is no question at all that Boko Haram as a fighting force has been degraded.

“We are are still vigilant because of their capacity to do damage with suicide bombers. I am very satisfied with what the military has done so far.‎ And the briefing has shown graphically that they are really on top of their game and that they are doing excellently well in the North East”, he said.

Giving insight into what transpired at the meeting, Minister of defence told newsmen that “We have trashed most of the security issues that concerns the country at the meeting including the Southern Kaduna and the North East and other parts of the country”.