Nigerian Military and the New Security Agenda

Nigerian Military and the New Security Agenda

By MUKHTAR Ya’u Madobi

At last, the Nigerian Armed Forces in collaboration with other security services, have walked the talk by ensuring a smooth transition of power to another successive administration.

It was a colourful event as Nigerians and other foreign invited guests thronged the capital city of Nigeria-Abuja to witness the swearing-in of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as he took over office from Muhammadu Buhari as the 16th President of Nigeria.

The occasion happened on the 29th of May, 2023 at the famous Eagle Square arena.

Prior to the event, there was nationwide tension about whether the transition could successfully be held due to security challenges facing the country. In fact, security intelligence revealed that some miscreants are plotting to disrupt the process and ensure that it never sees the light of the day.

But the Nigerian Military High Command assured the nation that there was no cause for alarm over the inauguration of the new administration, adding that the Armed Forces and other security forces are fully prepared to make the exercise a hitch-free.

And as it stands now, they have matched their words with action as President Tinubu has been steering the wheel of the country’s affairs ever since that remarkable moment.

Recalled that ahead of the handover, security forces intensified raids on terror enclaves to ensure a successful transfer of power.

As part of the strategy to contain any breach, security forces were deployed massively across the country in a renewed bid to neutralise potential threats to the event and supress a resurgence of terror attacks.

Again, military authorities, the police high command and the intelligence agencies, had at different fora, restated their preparedness for a seamless transition, a situation that prompted the launch of a massive, ongoing joint security operation.

In addition, there was also a security red alert in the nation’s capital and some parts of the country ahead of the inauguration.

“There is a round-the-clock operation in place to ensure a smooth inauguration. We are ready for any eventuality,” a security source had told This Day.

Still, as part of the measures to witness a hitch free transition, the operatives of DSS police and troops personnel took the fight to the door steps of the non-state actors by raiding hideouts of insurgents in parts of Kaduna and Kano States.

“The Department of State Services (DSS) hereby informs the public that the service and troops of the Nigerian Army and Police Force, in the early hours of 15th May, 2023, simultaneously raided hideouts of insurgents and terrorists in parts of Kaduna and Kano States.

“During the raid in Kaduna State, the terrorists deployed Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) against the fighting forces. One of the terrorists, who wore suicide jacket blew himself up while three suspects were arrested. Items recovered upon a search on the group’s accommodation, after Police EOD had diffused other IEDs, were two suicide jackets, one AK-47 rifle, a pistol and one laptop,” a statement by the spokesperson of DSS had said.

In Kano State, the agency said, two suspects were arrested while a pistol, 11 mobile phones, two hand grenades, one fully charged AK-47 magazine, two empty AK-47 magazine, one Peugeot 307 car and an ID card belonging to a suspect that escaped were recovered.

In a readiness to show his commitment to nation’s security, Tinubu did not waste time in summoning the Service Chiefs and Heads of Intelligence agencies so as to review the security situations and provide a template for addressing the sector’s challenges.

Led by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, the service chiefs included; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya; the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba.

Others are the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Maj Gen Samuel Adebayo; the Director-General of the Department of State Service(DSS), Yusuf Bichi and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

President Tinubu has read riot act to the service chiefs and heads of other security agencies against working at cross purposes under his administration.

He equally charged them to work together in a coordinated manner to achieve one single purpose of tackling the challenges of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, oil theft, sea robbery and piracy among others.

This swift move by Tinubu became necessary because, during his inaugural address, he had promised Nigerians that security would be a top priority for his administration.

He said “Security shall be the top priority of our administration because neither prosperity nor justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence.

“To effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform both our security DOCTRINE and its ARCHITECTURE.

“We shall invest more in our security personnel, and this means more than an increase in number. We shall provide, better training, equipment, pay and firepower.”

Furthermore, on June 5th, Tinubu took another step towards surmounting security challenges by undertaking a tour of the new Office of National Security Adviser (ONSA)and facilities at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), in Abuja.

Tinubu tasked security and intelligence agencies in the country on the importance of sharing information and intelligence among themselves, saying hoarding such resources could be counterproductive in the fight against terrorism.

He said his administration had recognised that in order to achieve economic revival, prosperity, and development, security should be of optimum priority

While making his remarks, the NSA, Major-General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), thanked the President for making the visit his first engagement outside the Villa, saying that “it reinforces his commitment, dedication and inflexible rigidity to ensuring that the security misfortunes of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and by extension the sub-region are overcome within the shortest possible time.”

MUKHTAR is the author of a book on “National Security Strategies” and is a staff writer with the Emergency Digest.