Commandant of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Tijjani Muazu, said yesterday in Kaduna that it takes days to assembly an explosive device, giving enough time for the intelligence community to thwart bombing plots before they are carried out.
"The military by its training cannot stop these bombs. It is the intelligence community that will take care of the situations because it takes at least one week to assemble a small bomb," Muazu said while briefing members of the House of Representative Committee on Defence when they visited the college in Jaji near Kaduna.
"The problems of internal security also stems from social issues that includes poverty and unemployment in the country," he added.
He also said the placing of the State Security Service and the Police under different supervisory authorities was not helping matters.
The SSS reports to the office of the National Security Adviser, while the Police is being supervised by the Ministry of Police Affairs.
Muazu said it would have been more effective if the Ministry of Interior co-ordinates the activities of the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the SSS, "and not in the present situation where the SSS is under the office of National Security Adviser, a staff of the President, and the IGP under the minister of Police Affairs."
Muazu listed challenges of the college to include lack of perimeter fence around the entire cantonment, as well as inadequate accommodation, water supply, ambulances and sporting facilities.
"Despite these challenges of the college with staff and student strength totalling 1992, we were able to sink 5 boreholes to our neighbouring Jaji, Usono and Ungwan Pate communities from our lean resources," the commandant said.
He said 688 students, including 27 international students, are currently undergoing courses in the college.
"Other international students from South Korea just indicated interest to participate in the senior course programmes of the college and approval has just been given for one student from South Korea," he said.
Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Bashir Adamu Kazaure, said, "Our primary objective is to make sure our armed forces are well equipped to meet current security challenges facing the country. We shall also see to it that the challenges of the college are addressed because in a situation where we have international students coming, we will want them to go back with a good impression of the country."
.
Daily Trust