Following rampant kidnappings and threats to national security ahead of Nigeira's 2011 general elections, the Federal Government said Thursday it was considering setting up a strike force out of the existing security agencies in a bid to contain the situation. The Government also faulted divisive tendencies and claims of superiority amongst security agencies as one of the impediments to internal security. Speaking in Abuja Thursday at the first Nigeria Internal Security Summit held at the NICON Luxury Hotel, President Goodluck Jonathan said no responsible government would fold its arms and watch its citizens wriggle in pain under the yoke of insecurity posed by criminal groups bent on destroying the very fabric of society. He said the use of small arms and other dangerous weapons in the country by such groups required critical attention. “It should be stated unequivocally that investing in the state-of-the-art crime fighting technologies would be meaningless without a corresponding investment in well-trained, well-equipped and highly mobile elite strike force capable of responding speedily to these hostile kidnap situations”, he said. He urged the summit to look at the desirability of establishing a strike force out of the existing internal security outfits to be trained and equipped to meet the exigencies of internal security threats posed by kidnapping and other organised criminal activities. President Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Interior, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, emphasised that “our security agencies need to work in harmony to craft effective strategies for containing these challenges. Unfortunately, the glaring disconnect and lack of synergy as well as claims and counter claims over superiority among security agencies have diminished the effectiveness of government’s efforts towards combating crime in the society”. Credit: BBC