President Buhari commissions “Operation Swift Response”

President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the immediate withdrawal of security personnel undermining his regime’s partial closure of land borders from the country’s border posts.This followed the discovery that 295 tankers laden with smuggled petroleum products were released on December 17 by some security operatives charged with the responsibility of protecting the borders without due authorisation.The Presidency stated that following the development,President Buhari has set up an inquiry board chaired by the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.), to investigate the matter.The board, upon completion of the investigation, found out that security operatives conspired with some persons to release the tankers without authorisation.President Buhari’s media aide, Mr Femi Adesina, said in the State House statement on Saturday, “As part of the Federal Government’s effort to ensure food security and improve local production of goods at competitive prices, President Buhari commissioned ‘Operation Swift Response’ as a border drill exercise to checkmate the illegal activities of smugglers across our borders.
“The border drill has been hugely successful and has led to the seizure and interception of large ammount of foods, materials, minerals and petroleum resources illegally trafficked across Nigerian borders. The President commends the security agencies and said they are doing a great job.
“He, however, finds it disheartening to learn that 295 smuggled petroleum tankers were released without due authorisation on 17th December, 2019 by some security officials charged with the responsibility of manning our borders.With respect to this act, the National Security Adviser was directed to set up a board of inquiry to investigate the crime, and it was recommended to the President that all officials (civilian or security operatives) found to have conspired to undermine government’s efforts should be withdrawn from the border drill and severely sanctioned by their respective organisations. President Buhari has accepted the recommendations and directed the immediate withdrawal and replacement of all those found culpable.He has also directed that their respective organisations should mete out appropriate disciplinary actions to them.”
The Presidency neither named the security agencies involved nor disclosed the persons alleged to have committed the illegality.It did not also mention the nature of punishment to be meted out to the culprits.