MILITARY PLOTS NEW OFFENSIVE 

Akani Alaka

With their recent success in ambush of Nigerian troops and boast that they were responsible for the downing of a military helicopter which claimed the lives of top military officers in Niger State, it was not a surprise that the claim that a leader of one of the bandit groups had declared himself governor quickly gained currency over the weekend.

According to a report, bandit leader, Gide Dogo who claimed responsibility for ‘shooting down’ the military helicopter had declared himself the governor of Niger State operating from the Kusasu and Chukuba areas of Shiroro Local Government Area of the state.

The report indicated that he had subsequently asked people in two local government areas to surrender to his terrorist group. Of course, the police swiftly dismissed the claim which it described as an attempt at mischief by unscrupulous elements.

“The command wishes to state categorically with all sense of responsibility that such publication is false in its entirety, and it only exists in the figment of the imagination of the author,” the Niger State Police Command said in a statement by its spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun over the weekend.

Killings Continue Under Tinubu

But such speculations were borne out of increasing frustrations of lack of appropriate response from the government and security operatives as the terrorists continue to hold the people by the jugular, killing scores of villagers daily, not only in Niger but in other parts of the country.

President Tinubu had promised to tackle the security challenges confronting the country in his inauguration speech through reform of the nation’s security doctrine and architecture, and more investment in security personnel and equipment.

However, Nigerians continued to be killed by bandits, Boko Haram insurgents, ethnic militias, armed robbers and other criminals under his administration. Data from SBM Intelligence, an analysis platform, revealed that about 629 Nigerians were killed in the 45 days under President Tinubu.
Though the killings cut across all parts of the country, the states on top of the bloody chart are Plateau, Borno, Niger, Benue, Zamfara, Taraba, and Sokoto.

Niger has come under focus following the recent ambushes and killing of officers, soldiers and other security operatives in Kundu, Wushishi LGA and Kwaki in Shiroro LGA of the state by bandits. In all, at least five local government areas of the state have become no-go areas as a result of the activities of bandits.
Indeed, in what seems a demonstration of helplessness, the state Governor, Umaru Bago had recently mooted the idea of negotiating with the bandits and terrorists. But in a statement over the weekend, the Coalition of Concerned Shiroro Youths Association said the bandits are common criminals and should be treated as such.

“Government opting for negotiation with terrorists is a clear sign of weakness and same is a very unpopular policy. Negotiating with criminals especially the ones spearheaded and championed by government is one of the indices of a failed government,” the group said in a statement by its convener,  Sani Kokki.
According to the group, the terrorists should be engaged, confronted and eliminated forcefully instead of trying to negotiate with them: “It is utterly unreasonable to contemplate negotiating with bloodthirsty vermin who are directly responsible for our present but seemingly endless woes.”

We’ll Hunt Down Bandits, Terrorists, Other Criminal Elements

The group will no doubt be excited with the directive of Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, General Christopher Musa to troops and their commanders to go after the terrorists responsible for the recent killing of their colleagues.

The CDS spoke at the burial ceremony of 22 of the soldiers and officers killed in the ambush which occurred on August 13 in the Chikoba community of Shiroro Local Government. The terrorists killed 25 military men in the ambush. But a military helicopter that went to evacuate dead and injured soldiers crashed, killing another 11 military officers.

The CDS who noted that the personnel were killed while they were responding to a distress call in the Chikoba community vowed that their killers would be brought to book.

“We will ensure those who did this must pay for this. I use this opportunity to call on all commanders and troops all over Nigeria that we must avenge this. Those who did this, and those who continue to kill our men, wherever they are, we will get them, we will smoke them out and we will ensure that they never have any other opportunity to kill any other person. That I assure you,” said Musa.

The CDS affirmed that the military would hunt down bandits and terrorists, among other criminal elements in the country. “We will hunt you down; we will bring you to justice. We will not relent until we get those causing havoc in the country. Today is one of the most difficult days in every commander’s mind because when you have to bury your own, you feel highly pained. But I want to assure the families that their death is not in vain,” he said.

Speaking in the same vein, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Taoreed Lagbaja, had on Saturday assured that the troops will ensure that no part of Nigeria is occupied by terrorists and other criminal elements, Lagbaja, spoke at the 65th Passing Out Parade of the Nigerian Military School, Zaria in Kaduna State where he was represented by the Commander Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji, Major General Oluyemi Olatoye.

It was learnt that following the military promise of an onslaught, some of the bandits were fleeing the forests and freeing some of their captives, mostly farmers who had been in custody for weeks. However, such onslaughts have only resulted in the bandits relocating to other areas to continue their atrocities.

We’ll Deliver Tinubu’s Promise On Security

Mohammed Badaru and Bello Matawalle who are minister Minister of Defence and Minister of Defence (State) respectively were present when the CDS asked the troops to go after the terrorists last Friday. Both Ministers, when they were taking over at the Ministry of Defence, also promised to end insecurity in the country.

Indeed, Badaru promised Nigerians to expect a change in the security situation in the country within a year. He also asked the military chiefs to tender a list of what it will take them to achieve the goal: “We’ll do our best to make sure we rid the nation of security challenges. We owe it a duty to the President and the nation. As politicians, we cannot afford not to succeed. We hardly fail and we are not ready to fail this time and we’ll not fail. The president is a goal-setter, he is an achiever and a thinker, so if you think we are going to joke with this, then we’ll all be deceiving ourselves.”

Badaru promised that he and his colleague as well as the service chiefs know that without security there will be no investment and without investment there will be no economic growth and even the farmers can’t go to their farms. “The President is ready to give us all the support to do this so from now on, I want the service chiefs to give me a timeline and their requirements on how we’ll begin to solve these problems one by one,”  the former governor of Jigawa State said.

Matawalle had on his part promised to tackle internal challenges such as corruption in defence procurement processes and ensure that resources are allocated efficiently and effectively to lay the groundwork for tackling the security challenges in the country.

“Our armed forces must be modernised and strengthened through investments in advanced weaponry, intelligence gathering capabilities, surveillance systems, and cyber defence infrastructure. We will work closely with international partners to acquire cutting-edge technology and expertise that will enhance our defence capabilities,” he said.

Nigerians expect the ministers and service chiefs to deliver on their promises.