Nigerian Military’ll Soon Deploy ‘Soft-Power’ for Anti-Terrorism War – CDS Declares at Psyops Programme
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, announced on Monday that the military is revamping its counter-insurgency strategy to utilize both military force and non-military tactics.
In a lecture titled “Non-Kinetic Operations and the Nigerian Armed Forces,” delivered at the launch of a national security course on `Psychological Operations and Strategic Communication (PSYOPS) in Abuja.
Gen Musa emphasized the need for a dual-pronged approach to contain the dynamic nature of current adversaries.
The Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) organized the course on the theme ‘Winning Hearts and Minds for National Cohesion and Development’.
Represented by Rear Adm. Daupreye Matthew, Director of Training, Defence Headquarters, the CDS said that the use of non-kinetic efforts under Operation Safe Corridor had led to the surrender of more than 2,000 Boko Haram members between 2016 and 2017.
He said 67 per cent of those who surrendered were of the Abubakar Shekau faction of the insurgents.
Musa added that 1,543 repentant terrorists graduated from Mallam Sidi Camp in Gombe State and 1,935 were released from Bulumkutu camp in Borno between 2016 and 2022.
According to him, from July 2021 to May 4, 2022, alone, no fewer than 51,828 terrorists and their family members surrendered, out of which 13,360 were fighters.
He added that 106,000 terrorists and their family members had so far surrendered in the North East.
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The defence chief, however, called for assessment and content analysis of the security policies and legal and operational frameworks.
He also called for the upscaling of government support, including developing and implanting of vetting systems, as well as capacity building for government service providers and direct assistance to transitional facilities working with low-risk individuals.
He further advocated individual case management, referral services, and community-based peace-building, reconciliation, and reintegration.
Earlier, the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Undiandeye said the five-day programme was designed to boost security experts’ understanding of the dynamics of psychological operations and strategic communication.
Undiandeye described psychological operations and strategic communication as integral elements of modern warfare. Despite their importance, communication science has widely neglected them.
According to him, it is now used to manipulate an enemy’s will to fight and influence public opinion.
He said the employment of strategic communication influences operations and non-kinetic tools to win hearts and minds and enhance national security and cohesion.
”Suffice it to say that the importance of PSYOPS as an instrument of statecraft, governance, and national security cannot be overemphasised.
”The Agency is more intentional about the benefits of the application of PSYOPS instruments, which include the use of soft power in the attainment of national security objectives.
”I am fully aware that the distinguished participants of this course were drawn from the various Federal and State MDAs, including the Armed Forces, Police, other sister intelligence and security agencies, and the media,” he said.
The CDI said the course intended to reconnect with communities and enlighten them on the importance of lawful conduct as against the activities of criminals, insurgents, and other deviants.
He said the government needed to harmonise processes and procedures for collaboration with communities most impacted by security challenges.
Other speakers on the first day of the programme included a respected psyop specialist, Colonel SO Gbenoba (Rtd); Director of Psychological Operations at the Defence Intelligence Agency, Mrs CA Usman; Head Preventing and Countering Violence Extremism at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Hajiya Musa-Abbas and the publisher of PRNigeria, Mr. Yushau A. Shuaib.
By PRNigeria
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