DSS raises security concerns, urges ASUU to call off strike

The Department of State Services, yesterday, appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off the ongoing strike.

The Director of the Service in charge of Yobe, Mr. Yunusa Abdulkadir, made the plea in Damaturu, at the Third Quarterly Conference of State Directors of Security in the North East Zone.

He noted that the strike, which has paralysed university education in the country, has security implications.

Yunusa said: “In as much as we know that ASUU is pursuing a genuine cause, they should take a deeper look at the peculiarities of North East region that has stayed for over a decade in the hands of insurgents.”

The director also called for the establishment of a psychiatric hospital in Yobe, to check post-traumatic disorder caused by the insurgency.

He said failure to do so could lead to a high number of trauma victims, who could pose a fresh security threat to the state.

In his remarks, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Hassan Abdullahi, said the conference would analyse security threats, share experiences and chart a way forward.

Abdullahi, who is also the DSS Director for Bauchi State, listed security challenges in the zone as including insurgency, kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling.

He commended the state government for its unwavering support and co-operation to the DSS and other security outfits.

The state deputy governor, Alhaji Idi Gubana, described the conference as timely, considering current security challenges in the country.

He said although successes had been recorded in the fight against insurgency, more work is required to ensure total decimation of terrorists in the state and the region.