The Federal Government has reiterated its position on not engaging mercenaries to fight criminals in the country.
National Security Adviser, Maj -Gen Babagana Monguno Rtd. made this known at the third edition of Villa Media Briefing on Thursday,in Abuja.
The House of Representatives had on Wednesday,March 10, asked the Federal Government to engage foreign mercenaries to combat insurgents.
The governors from the North East had also made similar request to the federal government to hire mercenaries to fight the terrorists.
Monguno however, dismissed the call saying” The President’s view and directive is that we will not engage mercenaries when we have our own people to deal with these problems.
,” This is basically a Presidential directive.And there are so many issues when it comes to the issue of mercenaries. It has to do with the issue of national pride also.
” The President has given a new lease of life to the Armed Forces and I believe that you should be able to overcome these people without resorting to help from mercenaries” he said.
Monguno said although the Federal Government is not ruling out the option of talking with criminal elements,it would apply the full weight of the governmentt to deal with the cirminals as they are unreliable and would continue to hurt the society.
” We must deal with them the way they need to be dealt with.We will fully assert the governmentt’s will.
He said the governmentt was already tackling” associated dimension of banditry and terrorism, illegal drugs, the flow of small arm’s & light weapons, and illegal mining in places like Zamfara, which he noted ” were some of the scenarios fuelling violence..’
