President Muhammadu Buhari has again lamented that bandits, ISWAP, and Boko Haram terrorists inflict untold hardship on Nigerians and other citizens across the Lake Chad Basin and the Sahel.

Mr Buhari decried the deterioration of insecurity in the region at the opening of the summit of heads of state and government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) in Abuja on Tuesday.

“Our region is faced with difficult, several challenges that need the support and engagement of all to overcome.

“While transnational crimes and rebellion cutting across our region continue to evolve in scope, the attendant conflicts also continue to retain their distinct form of inflicting untold hardship and difficulty on the lives of our citizens,” said Mr Buhari.

The summit was convened to discuss the recent developments in Chad after rebels killed President Idris Deby.

Mr Buhari added, “The threats by the Chadian rebel groups, who are clamouring to overthrow the government, must be viewed with all the seriousness they deserve because the consequences of a destabilised Chad to the sub-region cannot be imagined.

“The flow of refugees and displaced persons from the country, the unrestrained flow of arms, drugs and other harmful substances into Lake Chad and Sahel regions, which are already challenged by terrorists seeking to establish parallel systems, would further compound the security and stability of our areas and neighbouring countries.”

Mr Buhari, who declared the one-day summit open in his capacity as the chair of the LCBC member countries, rallied development partners and countries, particularly France, the United States, and the United Kingdom, to support the transition regime in Chad.

He also urged Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, the United Nations, the African Union, and the European Union to support the transition framework put in place by Chad’s Transition Military Council led by Mahamat Idris Deby.

“They need to support the Chadian government to effectively carry out its planned 18-month transition is sacrosanct. However, it must be stated that the sanctity of the Chadian constitution as the supreme guiding document defining the social contract in the country must be respected.

“The transition period should be civilian-led, with requisite powers given to the constitutionally mandated organs of government saddled with the responsibility of administering the country,” he said.