…As Ishaku seeks president’s help to import 2,000 tractors

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday met separately with Governor Abdulahi Sule of Nasarawa State and his counterpart from Taraba State, Darius Ishaku at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meetings were on finding solutions to the challenge of insecurity confronting the states.

The meeting came as the Nasarawa state governor said with credible intelligence, the state in collaboration with the security agencies were able to chase away Boko Haram terrorists that planned to launch attacks on two local government areas of the state.

The President had earlier in the day met with the Katsina State governor, Aminu Bello Masari, and on Monday night with the Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, over the same issue at the Villa.

Speaking to State House correspondents after meeting with the President, Governor Sule of Nasarawa State said he met the President to express his appreciation for the support being received by his state over security.

He said “I came to express appreciation to Mr. President about all the supports we have continued to receive in the area of security.

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“You must have heard, there were several joint operations of the special forces; the military, the police, together with vigilante, the Air Force and the Navy in the two local government areas bordering Abuja and as a result, the various operations have been very successful.

“Recently, some of our schools were being targeted, we privately approached and actions were taken and then we thank almighty God that we’ve been able to dislodge those ones.”

On the Boko Haram insurgents that had gathered in parts of the state, he said they have now been dispersed.

According to him, “Those are the ones I have mentioned that mostly they had been dislodged because of the joint operations, even from the support we get from my colleague in Kogi State. So, constantly, we share information with Kogi State as well as Benue and a lot of efforts have been put into that and so far, so good.”

However, he affirmed that despite the effort that has been put in, Nasarawa state is not free from insecurity.

“Well, nowhere in the world is completely safe, but to a certain extent, we can say we are. If you compare us with so many parts of the country, you can consider Nasarawa as a very safe place today.”

Also speaking with State house journalists, after his meeting with the President, Governor Ishaku of Taraba State, among others,  said: “First is that I came to see, Mr. President on security issues. If you remember, some weeks back, there was an attack in Taraba state, specifically, at Manga, which has boundary with Cameroon, it was invaded by the Cameroonian armed soldiers. They killed 11 people, including the chief of the small town.

“And I have not been able to see Mr. President because of his busy schedule and his travels.

“So, I’m fortunate today to have an appointment with him, to brief on details, about what transpired and need to give us some assistance in that axis. It was a very usual discussion and I am happy.”

He said he also told the President of the need for  Federal Government’s intervention to import 2,000 tractors donated to it by the Czech government, which he said had been long lying idle for two years.

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