Boko Haram, ISWAP not better equipped than Nigerian military —Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari said on Tuesday the Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists were not better equipped than the Nigerian military.

He also agreed with state governors that poverty and youth unemployment were the major causes of the country’s security challenges.

The president, according to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, disclosed this during a meeting with representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

President Buhari assured the governors that the issues would be addressed with greater vigour by all tiers of government.

The statement read:

“President Muhammadu Buhari and state governors Tuesday ended their meeting on the state of the nation’s security with calls for a joint strategy to bring various conflicts to an end within time limits, while field commanders would take measures to protect civilian communities as a confidence-building mechanism between the military and those communities.

READ ALSO: I go to bed and wake up thinking about how to solve insecurity —Buhari

“It is hoped that when the trust that has been lost between both parties is re-established, there would be improved cooperation in intelligence-gathering and sharing

“The meeting also agreed that poverty and youth unemployment are at the root of the nationwide security challenges, and needed to be addressed with greater vigour by all tiers of government.

“The three-hour meeting coordinated by President Buhari, and attended by the Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, heads of defence, security and intelligence agencies, and members of the Security Committee of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum represented by one governor from each of the six geo-political zones (in a Virtual Format), focused on the country’s security policies and approaches in tackling the internal security challenges with a charge that intelligence-gathering and sharing must be optimised for the nation to secure itself.”

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