Maj.-Gen. Stevenson Olabanji, Commander, Training and Doctrine Command of the Nigerian Army (TRADOC), Minna, has tasked personnel on security consciousness in their day-to-day activities in and outside the barracks.
Olabanji spoke in Minna during a Security Awareness seminar, tagged: “A Prerequisite for Enhanced Barracks Security.’’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the seminar was organised for members of Minna military cantonment community at TRADOC headquarters in Minna on Wednesday.
According to him, it is no longer news that the nation is currently grappling with some challenges, including insurgency, armed banditry, kidnapping and terrorism, among others, in some parts of the country.
He said that this had necessitated the deployment of the military and other para-military organisations across the country to deal with the situation at hand.
“We cannot deny the fact that such challenges exist and must be addressed accordingly for sustained peace and progress of human endeavours,” the TRADOC commander said.
He said that insecurity knew no race, tribe or religion and as such, must be approached holistically.
“That is why I am deeply convinced that this seminar is timely and apt, as it is said ‘charity begins at home’.
“We need to be security conscious within the barracks.
“We now have within the barracks community thriving businesses, schools, farms and recreational facilities, among others, all of which are open to the general public and not limited to military personnel only,’’ he said.
Olabanji said that the Nigerian army barracks still remained the safest place in the country, adding: “we must strive to ensure that the highest form of security is in place and sustained.”
He said that the seminar would, among other things, enlighten the barracks community on the general overview of the contemporary security situations, both globally and locally. Olabanji called on residents not to hesitate to give prompt information concerning suspicious movements, assemblage, object and persons lurking around their neighbourhood whose mission or intentions were not clear.