The Military’s Vengeance Threat to Bandits and Public Scepticism
By Abdulsalam Mahmud,
Recently, the Nigerian military mourned the death of over 20 of its gallant soldiers. The deceased paid the supreme price when terrorists in Niger State ambushed them, together with the ill-fated crash of a Nigerian Air Force, NAF, helicopter, a fortnight ago.
At the National Military Cemetery in Abuja, the final resting place of the fallen troops, Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, CDS, said something at the sombre event that provoked scepticism in some quarters.
Gen. Musa had initially commiserated with officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces, and families of the fallen heroes.
He said: “We stand here today to honour their courage, dedication and commitment to duty. Their lives were abruptly taken from us in the line of duty while responding to a distress call in the Chikoba community in Shiroro, Local Government Area in Niger State.
“We gather not only to believe they are lost, but also to celebrate their lives and extra extraordinary contributions to our beloved nation. We are gathered here today not only as great family members, friends and colleagues, but also as the nation united.
“These following years exemplify the very best of what it means to serve and protect our nation. They were the vendors of peace, the guidance of our freedom and the sentiments of our security, their selflessness and unwavering dedication to duty will forever be etched in our hearts and memories,” he said.
He praised the departed personnel for braving all the odds in the service of the nation.
“Today, we bid farewell to men who dedicated their lives to the cause of safeguarding our nation. They were men and women of honor and integrity. They accepted the call to serve, fully aware of the dangers that lay ahead. And yet they never were rewarded in their commitment to protecting the lives and property of our fellow citizens.
“They were sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, fathers and mothers. To the families, who have lost loved ones, we give our deepest condolences. We cannot begin to fathom the pain and sorrow that we are experiencing. Know that deep in your heart, you are not alone in your grief.
“The entire nation and the Armed Forces are with you and are still ready to support you in any possible way. We recognise that no word can ease your pain, but we hope that you’ll find solace in the knowledge that your loved ones left an indelible mark in our nation’s history,” Musa assured.
Afterwards, he vowed that those behind the death of the departed soldiers will not go scot free.
He said the military would hunt down bandits, and terrorists, among other criminal elements, in the country.
Musa said: “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.
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“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. We will hunt you down, we will bring you to justice. We will not relent until we get those causing havoc in the country”.
He expressed deep pain over the tragic occurrence: “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.”
The defence chief praised the fallen personnel for paying the supreme sacrifice in defence of the nation.
“Today we gather here with heavy hearts and tearful eyes to bid farewell to our fallen heroes in the Armed Forces of Nigeria, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our nation”.
That some Nigerians did not take the CDS’ threat very serious was expected. The failure by erstwhile Service Chiefs, in particular, to reign in terrorists and their kingpins apparently have caused many citizens to always have misgiving about the Nigerian military’s threat of dealing with terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements.
Nonetheless, there is every reason to take Gen. Musa’s word to the bank, this time around. And this is not because he is Nigeria’s serving Defence Chief. It is owing to the fact that he has this uncanny ability to tame terrorists, especially those notorious for launching deadly attacks on military forces, and civilian populations.
Sometime in 2021, troops of Operation Hadin Kai with Gen. Musa as their Theatre Commander gruesomely eliminated over 50 Islamic State of West African Province, ISWAP, fighters terrorizing Chabbal community at the Lake Chad axis in Borno State.
While reacting to the troops’ feat then, Gen. Musa commended their gallantry and urged them not to relent in prosecuting the counter-insurgency operation, till Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists are defeated.
That aside, several Chibok girls who went missing after Boko Haram invaded their school in 2014, have been rescued by troops, thanks to the courageous and purposeful leadership of Gen. Musa. Their rescue, which happened between last year and now, followed aggressive military operations in Sambisa Forest, Mandara Mountain, and the Lake Chad area.
Efforts to ensure that the rest of the girls are also freed through the ongoing Operation Lake and Desert Sanity have been intensified, following a marching operational order Gen. CG Musa gave to troops, sometime in July 2022. Again, between June 2021 and May 2023, combat activities in Operation Hadin Kai Theatre, Commanded by Gen. Musa, resulted in the neutralization of no fewer than 1,800 terrorists, including their high-profile Commanders and Amirs.
As CDS, Gen. Musa has already shown that he means business with tackling Nigeria’s security woes. The quintessential military officer knows that the stakes are high, and won’t like to disappoint teeming Nigerians.
I strongly believe the days of the marauding terrorists responsible for the deaths of troops in Niger State recently, are numbered. But that is if the military Commanders of Operation Hadarin Daji will be proactive in carrying out Gen. Musa’s directive, without further ado.
*Mahmud is the Deputy Editor of PRNigeria*
