The enduring insecurity across the nation, but most particularly the Boko haram menace, demands a strategic shift in the rule of engagement. The overrun of the Metele military camp in Borno state where the army lost several soldiers to Boko haram terrorists has remained a major scar on the military and brought a feeling of trauma and apprehension to the people.
It was a psychological offensive against both the military and the citizenry, primarily aimed at creating widespread fear among the populace and to demoralise soldiers at the battle frontline. The insurgents understood that a demoralised military that suffers huge losses from a so-called decimated rebel group compels negotiation by the government on terms more favourable to the terrorists arising from government panic move to reassure the public of its ability to provide security.
Negotiating from a weak position has never won a battle and government is being forced into that position by its rather lethargic responses to situations of disaster in military operations, under an untenable procedural next-of-kin information approach as exposed in the Metele tragedy where it took the military five days to issue a statement. The handling of that humiliating military loss showed a military leadership caught flat-footed by the brazen audacity of the Boko haram terrorists.
The question being asked by Nigerians is : What happened to the $1 billion security funding that was to expressly address the weapons, hardware and welfare needs of the fighting forces confronting Boko haram on the frontlines? The $1 billion extra budgetary funding of the military was based on the urgency of the security situation, requiring short-circuiting the often lengthy legislative procedure.
One of the items of military acquisition for which express anticipatory approval and payment of $496.3 million dollars was given by President Muhammadu Buhari was the purchase of 12 Super Tucano aircraft that was deadline bound. The Air Force is expected to provide support for ground troops, particularly in crisis situations as experienced by soldiers at the Metele military camp. Why was it difficult to scramble the Air Force jet fighters to the rescue of the embattled soldiers?
This speaks to what is an apparent lack of coordination among the various arms of the nation’s armed forces. The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, had on April 4, 2018, after a meeting of security chiefs with the president at the Presidential Villa, in response to emergent challenges from Boko haram and other violent criminals declared: “the strength of the security personnel has increased, including the Air Force additional quick response group’’.
He had added: “We have operationalised a division in Sokoto, there will be a brigade in Katsina and another brigade in Zamfara that will take care of security situation in the areas’’.
No doubt, the federal government appreciated the worsening security situation and is seemingly willing to provide for the armed forces. President Buhari, according to a statement in April 2018 by Garba Shehu, his senior special assistant on media and publicity, had noted : ‘’Our loyal forces have proved their strength over the terrorists and we are ready to give them all the needed support in terms of equipment and manpower to succeed in ending the renewed threat’’.
Unfortunately, the renewed security threat is not abating. Rather, the terrorists seem to be gaining new confidence . The stakes are being raised with information that the more violent break-away faction of Boko haram led by Al Barnawi, in affiliation with Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is embarking on aggressive recruitment of people into their terror network, posing a more dangerous dimension to the security situation.
With abductions and attacks on military formations on the rise, we believe the present crop of service chiefs are not proactive enough to adequately respond to this emergent situation.
Providing security is the primary responsibility of the Buhari presidency and the loyalty of the president should be to the Nigerian citizenry not to service chiefs who seem to be at their wits end by adopting a defensive operational strategy that has made it possible for Boko haram to unleash mayhem on soldiers, who ordinarily are brave men who have proved the valour in battles. We, therefore, say it is time for President Buhari to let the service chiefs go.
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