A new Nigeria was presumably birthed on January 15, 1970 when the civil war ended. It was expected that the country would draw hard lessons from the bloody conflict to forestall a recurrence. However, the only activity that leaves the impression that our leaders are mindful of the ugly past is the Armed Forces Remembrance Day which is now observed every January 15. This annual event is to mark the nation’s restoration to unity and, also to commemorate servicemen and fallen heroes. It ought to be for sober reflections on the significance of the armed forces to the country. However, the entire ceremony has become a mere yearly ritual as the government has consistently neglected the weightier matters concerning the military.
War veterans deserve more attention from the government than vain speeches and laying of wreaths which usually characterise the memorial ceremony. Their security and general well-being should be of paramount consideration to the government. However, Nigeria keeps losing gallant military officers to terrorism with little on the ground to address this concern. Not only are Nigeria’s counter-terrorism strategies less advanced than the enemy’s, they also often serve like enablers of the insurgency. For instance, Operation Safe Corridor is nothing but a protective shelter for terrorists to escape prosecution and possible conviction and indeed to return to the war front more fortified with critical information and confidence.
Military emoluments are far below international standards. On every Armed Force Remembrance Day, the authorities never fail to bore the audience with long speeches on the purported scholarship along with various empowerment and vocational programmes put in place to improve the lives of the children and wives left behind by deceased officers. However, in reality, their dependents receive one-off financial support from government and thereafter are left out in the cold.
Fifty-three years since the civil war formally ended, the issues that led to the conflict remained unaddressed; the country has retrogressed in many respects. More worrisome, is that there are no concrete strategies on how to end the perennial war of terrorism. The government’s lack of political will to frontally and effectively tackle insurgency is obvious. The country’s military artilleries are lagging behind in comparison to the sophisticated weaponry of the insurgents. Curiously, terrorist organisations seem to be ahead in intelligence gathering as manifested in the significant successful ambushes they have recorded against the Nigerian military. And considering the well-acknowledged gallantry of Nigerian soldiers, depicted in their sterling performance in international military operations, there is an obvious necessity to interrogate the inaction of government in adequately equipping it. It is a question of the capacity rather than the capability of the current military formation.
Undoubtedly, Nigeria has one of the best foot soldiers in Africa. At some point in history, her military could be rightly described as the West Africa Police. Our gallant fighters consistently displayed their military superiority in all the peacekeeping missions they participated in. The questions, therefore, are: Why is the government reluctant in giving terrorism the deserving fierce and fiery counter-attack? Why are cases of desertion and resignation now rampant in the military? Why are our combatants ill-equipped and poorly kitted?
The late Gen. Sani Abacha once reportedly said: Any insurgency that lasts more than 24 hours, the government has a hand in it.” While this stance is arguably an expression of a personal opinion, however, Nigeria has been battling terrorism for well over 15 years and the government is not seen to be determined to bring it, and its affiliates, such as banditry, and kidnapping, to an end. The government has failed to proactively address insecurity issues and its reactionary measures have not been substantially fruitful. On the contrary, terrorist organisations are becoming more daring and undaunted. In August 2021, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) attacked the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna. On July 28, 2022, ISWAP attacked a military checkpoint in Niger State, about 30km from Abuja (the seat of power) and also attacked two military bases located in Malam Fatori, Borno State in November 2022 killing several soldiers. On January 6, 2023, Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Ahmed, a senior military officer, was reportedly ambushed and abducted by terrorists along Tsafe (Zamfara)/Funtua (Katsina). President Muhammadu Buhari claimed to have spent $1 billion to regain northern parts captured by terrorists since 2015. However, some Northern communities are still under the control of insurgents. In fact, residents in those communities are made to pay levies to the insurgents before they can go about their normal duties. Each time, the government reclaims a captured territory, new territories are captured. Sadly, humungous resources that should have been deployed in projects such as schools, road constructions, hospitals, are being expended on prosecuting this guerilla warfare without corresponding results.
The leadership of the military itself cannot be excused from complicity in the protracted war. Recently, military personnel attached to the 198 Special Forces of the Nigerian Army in Borno State threatened to protest over their unpaid allowances allegedly diverted by a senior officer. Also, there have been reports of espionage within the armed forces, yet no proper investigation seems to have been embarked upon to unravel the identities of the traitors. The magnitude of surprise attacks on the military is a pointer that anti-terrorism is being sabotaged by informants in the military. In 2014, a former military officer, Mr. Dele Olawale John, was court-martialed and even sentenced to death, for questioning the failure of the military leadership to provide the necessary airborne support in the Army’s mission to Kafia Forest, a strong base of Boko Haram in Borno State. Between 2014 and 2015, a total of 70 soldiers were sentenced to death by a court-martial for demanding for weapons to fight terrorism. But for the timely intervention of Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, who had these convictions upturned at the Court of Appeal, the military was ready to execute its own for demanding their basic rights. This implies that the military deliberately ill-equips its officers; otherwise why seek to execute them for requesting weapon? How does the military intend to win the war without appropriate armaments?
How ironic it is to expend billions of naira training military personnel, only to deliver them up as sacrificial lamb to terrorists who appear to be better incentivised than our soldiers? Many Nigerian soldiers are battling Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) while their retired counterparts are compelled to protest over non-payment of their entitlements every now and then. These unfair treatments can dampen the morale of foot soldiers to fight for the country.
Accordingly, the government must prioritise security and welfare of members of the armed forces. Also, it should come up with a robust welfare package that ensures that servicemen and their dependents are adequately taken care of continuously. Additionally, it should ferociously counter terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes and ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are made to face the full wrath of the law. Furthermore, allegations on the diversion and conversion of budgetary allocations for security by security chiefs and other public office holders should be thoroughly investigated and any officer so indicted should be sanctioned.
Very importantly, the government needs to formulate policies that will address the economic concerns of Nigerians. The vast majority of Nigerians are barely surviving due to inflation. It should be highlighted that insofar, as the rate of poverty remains high, crime rate will not plummet. And unless the anti-terrorism war is brought to a final end, Nigeria will keep burying its servicemen in large numbers and deprive vital development sectors of required funding.
