FG disbands NATFORCE, threatens to arrest promoters

The Federal Government on Thursday disbanded the National Taskforce on the Prohibition of Illegal Importation/Smuggling of Arms, Ammunition, Light Weapons, Chemical Weapons and Pipeline Vandalism (NATFORCE).

The ban was channelled through
National Security Council (NSC) after a meeting presided by President Muhammadu Buhari at Villa.

Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola while granting interview to the journalists at the Villa described (NATFORCE) as an “illegal outfit”.

Rauf Aregbesola, urged the promoters of NATFORCE to stop theillwgal activities or got arrested by security agents, adding that the Federal government was satisfied with efforts of security agents in curtailing insecurity in the country.

The Minister who was flanked by his Police Affairs counterpart, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, after the NSC meeting warning that recalcitrants would be arrested and prosecuted.

CAPITAL POST recalled that the NATFORCE bill is currently being considered by upper and lower legislative Chambers of the National Assembly, though, it has been. vehemently opposed by security agencies which are scared of their responsibilities being usurped

Aregbesola said: “The Council has just concluded today’s meeting. It received briefings from all security chiefs and the Council is very satisfied with the performances of all our security chiefs; the military, the police and other security agencies. We are happy with their performance and the gains recorded so far.

“We are moving to the phase of consolidation of all those gains, such that by December, as ordered by the Chairman of the Council, the President, which he has said to all Nigerians before now, that we’ll put, essentially, most of the challenges of banditry particularly, insurgency, kidnapping for ransom, criminalities of that nature, far behind us.

“We are equally pleased with the performance of the Nigeria Police on the elections in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun, which elections have demonstrated our commitment to democracy and expression of the will of the people at the polls.

“Equally of concern is the presence of some illegal outfits that impersonate the legitimate security agencies. Of particular concern is a body called National Task Force on Illegal Importation of Goods, Small Arms and what have you, but the short name for it is NATFORCE.

“The Council declares that body an illegal organization, it should just simply disband itself, because the Council has ordered all security agencies to enforce the disbandment of that body and other such bodies that operate illegally without any force of law,” he said.