The presidency never mandated the dismantling of all military checkpoints along Nigerian highways,the national security adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki reveals.
NSA, Sambo Dasuki
The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) on Thursday, July 9, said the Presidency had never ordered the dismantling of all military checkpoints along Nigerian highways.
Dasuki made this known in a chat with PRNigeria, a media consultant outfit to the military and para-military agencies in the country, after a meeting with top military and security officers in his office in Abuja yesterday.
According to him, military roadblocks in flashpoints will continue to be maintained while those in relatively peaceful areas will be dismantled but soldiers will still be positioned in those areas while not blocking roads.
He said it is both conventional and a global practice for governments to increase security measures whenever insecurity is heightened and appealed to citizens to endure attendant inconveniences as they are temporary.
He added that the government is deploying new sophisticated scanners and detectors in some areas to ease traffic and to identify movements of strange objects, concealed weapons and criminal suspects.
“With effective use of technology which minimises physical contacts between security personnel and citizens, the time spent at designated security checkpoints will ultimately be reduced,” he said.