Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (retd.), has called on state governors and lawmakers to stop distributing motorcycles as palliatives, warning that some of the vehicles eventually find their way into the hands of terrorists and are used to aid their operations.
Musa made the appeal on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he spoke about efforts to tackle terrorism and the operational difficulties faced by the country’s security forces.
The minister explained that motorcycles provide terrorists with the mobility to move swiftly through difficult terrain and evade security personnel.
“We try to appeal to even governors to stop giving motorcycles out as palliatives because these motorcycles are the same ones that still end up with these terrorists.
“Even if you have to give, don’t give them the big capacity motorcycles; give them the small capacity ones that they won’t be able to use to run around, because that gives them leverage. They can easily enter and then disappear…”
Musa also cautioned that motorcycles distributed by lawmakers through constituency projects and other palliative programmes could eventually return to the hands of bandits and terrorists.
“Those bikes… before you know it, it’s already back to the bandits and that’s what they’re using. So we must stop that, we must be able to identify markets,” he said.
According to the Defence Minister, security agencies have identified illegal markets and motor parks as channels used by terrorists to transport arms and ammunition into areas where they operate.
Musa further urged local governments to play a more active role in addressing insecurity, noting that their closeness to communities gives them an advantage in identifying criminals and helping to prevent crime.
