Insecurity: It Can’t Get Any Closer

The attack on the Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna, has again hightened the fear as to whether or not Nigeria was truly winning the war against insecurity as terrorists continue to take their attacks to military formations across the country despite the humongous amounts so far invested in securing in the last few years under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. Emameh Gabriel writes

The fear that Nigeria could be heading the path of Afghanistan was hightened when gunmen successfully invaded the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) in Kaduna. Last week after the take over of Afghanistan by the Taliban, many Nigerians opinion moulders had raised fears about the possibility of a replication
of the incident in Afghanistan in the country given the might bandits have displayed in the last few months while the security achetecture in the country continue to appear overwhelmed.

President Muhammadu Buhari had after Taliban’s swift takeover in Afghanistan, warned that the “war on terror” was not over but shifting to Africa. Buhari said Africa needs more than U.S. military assistance to defeat terrorism.

He further warned that the U.S. withdrawal from the war in Afghanistan did not mean the so-called war on terror was winding down, rather it was a new threat shifting to Africa, where it could snowball. Buhari had cited the rising threat of terrorist groups in Africa, from Boko Haram in Nigeria and the Sahel region to al-Shabab in Somalia and a rising insurgency in Mozambique.

Security experts had also warned that It was very likely that the development in Afghanistan could definitely spur terrorist groups within Africa. They reasoned that it wiould embolden them and make them look at the bigger picture, which is the fact that resilience and a continuation of their efforts could lead to victory.

The President had last week during the National Security Meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja promised to do everything possible to address the security challenges facing the country, expressing his wish not to leave government “as a failure.”

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (Retd), told State House reporters after the meeting, that the President expressed happiness over the success recorded so far by the security agencies in the fight against insurgents, bandits, kidnappers and other criminals in various part of the country.

Monguno said the President also expressed his readiness to make more changes in the security architecture of the country if necessary.

He said, “The President is quite happy that there’s been tremendous success, especially with the advent of the new service chiefs and Inspector General of Police.

“And he’s also made it very clear that he is not ready to exit government as a failure. He is not going to tolerate that he has made changes and is ready to make further changes if he is not satisfied. He is completely determined to ensure that there is a turnaround in the fortunes in the theatre of operations.”

While Nigerians are still debating the President’s assurance, an unusual demon struck the country’s elite military academy’s security achetectur in Kaduna. The incident has raised salient questions of suspicious and complicity among military personnel. The bandits who successfully carried out the operation reportedly killed two military personnel and abducted another.

Spokesperson of the academy, Mr.
Bashir Muhd Jajira who confirmed the incident explained in a statement how security was compromised in the academy.

He said, “The security architecture of the Nigerian Defence Academy was compromised early this morning by unknown gunmen who gained access into the residential area within the Academy in Afaka. During the unfortunate incident, we lost two personnel and one was abducted.

“The Academy in collaboration with the 1Division Nigerian Army and Air Training Command as well as other security agencies in Kaduna state have since commenced pursuit of the unknown gunmen within the general area with a view to tracking them and rescue the abducted personnel.

“The NDA community and cadets are safe in the Academy. We assure the general public that this unknown gunmen would soon be apprehended and the abducted personnel rescued

The Nigerian Defense Academy is one of the most fortified military formations in Nigeria and to believe that it could be attacked was one thing no one had envisage, particularly at a time like this.

Public commentators have avered that if an army formation in places like Jaji and NDA can be attacked successful without any casualty from the bandits but the army, it shows that the battle is already lost by the army. They army was caught pants down in their own habitat and that should send a great warning to Nigerians to be one eye open when they sleep henceforth. Some have said nothing could have led to such successful operation if there was no internal conspiracy

Some have said the possibility of the attack was predicted after the kidnap of the students of School of Agriculture Mechanisation in the same neighborhood. For this to happen, something is fundamentally wrong that needs to be addressed.

THISDAY recalls how an attempt was also made at the Airforce Base in Kaduna by Boko Haram in late June. Reports had confirmed that there was a gunfight between the terrorists and military personnel that lasted for close to two hours after the terrorists had attacked the base from the backside.

This happened two days after suspected bandits invaded the military barracks of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State, and carted away a herd of cattle

Who Takes Responsibility?

Afaka Barracks was attacked by gunmen and casualties were recorded. Two soldiers were killed and another kidnapped, which left the country military in an what many have described as embarrassing situation because military barracks are not that impregnable. There are reports that personnel monitoring the CCTV centre at the academy slept off leaving the perimeter vulnerable. Others have said there was the possibility of internal conspiracy and collaboration.

A retired major and private security expert who doesn’t want to be mentioned told THISDAY two things are likely involved. He said: “One or two things must have happened, insider job or someone was the target of the attack, warning that the “incident is a wake up call for AFN to recruit more men to hold the ground.

He said the Nigerian Defense Academy is a training institution and the military is already “overstretched in operations across most northern States. This means you have few men on ground to perform effective guard duties. NDA security presently is a combination of military and civil guards.

While he noted that the military is winning the war against terrorism in the North-east, such can not be said of the North-west, saying funding is grossly inadequate, military hardwares are expensive and they are not bought off the shelf.

He further warned politicians to stop politicising banditry, calling on the state government to take decisive steps and bring to book anyone found culpable. “There must be political will on the part of government,” he stated.

Will the President Act and Cause Heads to Roll This Time?

Nigerians have lost faith in the President over what they described as his inability to take decisive actions against erring military personnel. There have been instances of Nigeria Air Force bombing Nigeria soldiers on battle field and nobody was held to account for such embarrassing situation. Nobody was sack or held responsible. “When will Buhari start to hold his miliary officers accountable. Watch how this will go like others. No one will be questioned. Everything will go on as normal. And you don’t want us to blame the President? asked Famous Ihudu, a public commentator.

Incidents in the past have shown that the President hardly punishes people that fail in their duties. In 2020 when he ordered ex IGP Adamu to remain in Benue to handle the escalating security situation in the state but the IGP defied the order and went to Nassarawa to pas the night. He was not reprimanded at all. The same man was handled with kid gloves till he was forced to retire.

It is expected that after investing so much in our military institutions, such complicity should not be swept under the carpet without heads rolling to serve as deterrent to others. It does appear to many Nigerians that the President has lost total county of the security apparatus in the country. As a former Major General and a two-time Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian armed forces, analysts have said “no one can deny the fact that it is impossible for bandits to successfully attack NDA without compromise from those at the helm of affairs at both the NDA, DHQ and powerful civilians in his government.”

QUOTE

The Nigerian Defense Academy is a training institution and the military is already “overstretched in operations across most northern States. This means you have few men on ground to perform effective guard duties. NDA security presently is a combination of military and civil guards