Gadaffi’s guards responsible for insecurity in Sahel

President Muhammadu Buhari has blamed insecurity in the Sahel on armed guards that he said were recruited from all over Africa by the late Libyan President Muammar Gadaffi.

He made the declaration at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday while receiving in farewell audience the outgoing Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohammed Ibn Chambas.

The president warned that as long as Libya remains unstable, illegal arms and ammunition will continue to flow in the Sahel region of the African continent.

President Buhari observed that Muammar Gadaffi held a grip on power in Libya for 42 years by recruiting armed guards from different countries, who then escaped with their arms when the Libyan strongman was killed.

A statement issued by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), quoted President Buhari as saying: “They didn’t learn any other skill than to shoot and kill. So, they are a problem all over the Sahel countries today.”

He added: “We closed our land borders here for more than a year, but arms and ammunition continued to flow illegally. As far as Libya remains unstable, so will the problem remain.

“We have to cope with the problems of development, as we can’t play hop, step and jump. But we will eventually overcome those problems.”

President Buhari described Chambas, who spent many years in Nigeria in different capacities, from ECOWAS to UN, as “more of a Nigerian than anything else.”

He wished him well in his future endeavours.

The outgoing Special Representative thanked the president “for personal support I received from you (Buhari), and from Nigeria as a country,” adding that the country would continue to play a leadership role on the continent.

On terrorism and violent extremism in the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin area, Chambas said Nigeria was playing a yeoman’s role, particularly in giving support to the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents

In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.

Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train

The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…