The oft-repeated marching order from President Muhammadu Buhari was clear: rout the bandits and kidnappers, and deal with their sponsors.
But will they achieve the feat, which has remained elusive for months? The answer continues to blow in the wind.
The service chiefs and other heads of security agencies present when the President gave his order that the reign of terror by bandits and kidnappers must be ended immediately are: Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, Chief of Army Staff, Lieut.-General Ibrahim Attahiru, Chief of Navy Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao.
Others were the National Security Adviser to the President, Babagana Monguno; Director-General of the Department of State Services, Yusuf Bichi; Director General of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai; and the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo attended the meeting.
Giving journalists an insight into the meeting, NSA Monguno said “On issues of kidnapping and banditry – these menaces still persist especially in the North West and the North Central zones.
”Mr President has stated very clearly that this problem must be brought an end but using the traditional (methods) that the armed forces have been trained to deploy.
”Mr President has made it very clear to both the intelligence and operational elements that their first assignment will be to identify the leaders of these bandits and kidnappers and take them out in order to restore confidence in those areas.
”Mr President has said that he will no longer tolerate a situation where bandits and kidnappers are the ones dictating the pace and setting the tones and he will not also condone a situation in which our own operations are reactionary rather than being proactive,’’ he said.
:“I’m also to send out a warning to those people who think they can continue to behave in a manner that undermines national security.
“Those people engaging in all kinds of underhanded, unscrupulous, mischievous and deceitful practices, people who are working with those that are in government, in particular, critical agencies of government.
“We have been able to identify certain areas that are weak and these areas have to be strengthened so that these characters who are engaging in acts that you can describe as outright acts of brigandage, people who are behaving in a manner that portends a lot of danger to innocent lives, have to be fished out.
“This is the directive from the President, I am to send a warning to those people who think they’re in close proximity with those who have the instruments to make the space easy for criminals, those people who think they have some kind of authority, who are engaging in all kinds of Hocus Pocus in all kinds of jiggery pokery or skullduggery.
“These people will be brought down to their knees.’’