Winning Nigeria’s War on Terror Using Intelligence
By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi
Nigeria’s fight against terrorism has been a long and arduous struggle. The brutal tactics of groups like Boko Haram necessitate a multifaceted response, and military force alone cannot achieve lasting victory.
Notwithstanding, the military can still utilise intelligence as a strong weapon to conquer terrorists and other non-state actors, destabilising our dear nation.
It can be remembered how the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), the late Lit. Gen. Attahiru Ibrahim, devised a clandestine plan leading to the infiltration of Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters’ camps. A disruption was equally created among their leadership ranks which subjected them to killing each other in circles of revenge.
It was in one of such encounters that, in May 2021, the then leader of the Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs), Abubakar Shekau, blew himself by detonating a suicide bomb vest when he was boxed to the corner by the ISWAP fighters who wanted him to surrender.
Since Shekau’s demise, the BHTs have been losing battles due to sustained onslaughts by the Nigerian military.
Therefore, the same scenario can be prioritised by the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) under the current leadership of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Gwabin Musa, through intelligence gathering in order to sow discord within terrorist organisations.
However, infiltrating terrorist camps with undercover agents is a high-risk but high-reward strategy. By gaining access to internal communications and hierarchies, intelligence operatives can expose vulnerabilities and exploit existing ideological fault lines.
One of the easiest ways to achieve that is by disrupting their leadership, because terrorist organisations rely on strong leadership. Infiltrating the inner circle can provide invaluable information about planned attacks and leadership vulnerabilities so that security forces can process these intelligences to their best advantage.
Also, sowing discord through misinformation campaigns can disrupt communication and create suspicion within the ranks. Propaganda can be propagated deliberately in order to confuse the enemy, thereby weakening their morale and spirits.
Similarly, coercion and radicalization are rife within terrorist groups. Intelligence agents can identify those disillusioned with the violence and exploit their grievances to gather intelligence and potentially turn them into double agents with the utmost carefulness.
Meanwhile, there are so many instances where this scenario of divide and conquer was adopted at the international level, which led to the achievement of the military objective.
For example, in the 1990s, British intelligence successfully infiltrated the Irish Republican Army (IRA) with undercover agents like Martin McGarrity. These agents provided crucial information that helped cripple the organisation’s operations.
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In the same vein, after the 9/11 attack on American soil by Al-Qaeda, the US intelligence agencies heavily relied on human intelligence. Defectors like Ibn al-Shaykh Al-Libi provided critical details about al-Qaeda’s leadership and planned attacks, and this information was very crucial to US security agencies in restraining the sect’s activities.
Lately, several bandit gangs operating in Northwestern Nigeria have seen internal conflicts in recent years. Intelligence operatives could exacerbate these divisions and encourage defections.
A recent credible intelligence report by PRNigeria revealed that a notorious bandit warlord, including scores of gang members, was killed courtesy of a supremacy battle by two bandit groups over the control of some mining sites.
The brutal clash was between Jammatu Ansarul Musulmin Biladis Sunna, also known as Ansaru, and Dogo Gide’s groups of bandits at Kuyallo area, Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna state.
“A wanted terrorist leader, Mudi, and his son Murtala, on Dogo Gide’s side, lost their lives.
“Dogo Gide’s side also suffered severe losses, including close associates and some family members,” the intelligence source added.
No doubt, Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram and bandits would greatly benefit from a similar approach by strategically placing undercover agents within the groups.
Therefore, Nigeria’s military intelligence body, the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), can invest more energy and resources in destabilising the adversaries camps through psychological operations and strategic communication.
However, infiltrating terrorist groups is inherently dangerous. Measures to protect the identities and safety of undercover agents are paramount. Furthermore, relying solely on intelligence risks underestimating the enemy’s capabilities.
The Defence Chief, C.G. Musa, had earlier urged service chiefs and commanders of military operations to promote intelligence sharing and collaboration within and across joint task forces.
Musa made the call last year at the opening of the Joint Task Force Commanders Conference organised by the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
“To effectively address these threats, we must emphasise the importance of intelligence sharing and collaboration both within and across our joint task forces.
“The exchange of timely and accurate Information is the lifeblood of success. operations.
“By breaking down silos and fostering a culture of information sharing, we can enhance situational awareness, improve decision-making processes, and promote seamless coordination among our forces.” CG Musa added.
Notwithstanding, military power is essential, but defeating terrorism requires a multifaceted approach. Prioritizing intelligence gathering and utilizing it to exploit internal divisions offers a powerful tool to weaken terrorist organizations from within. Nigeria must prioritise this approach if it hopes to achieve lasting peace and security.
Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi, an NDA research student, is the author of “National Security Strategies: A Young Writer’s Perspective.” He wrote from Kano via [email protected]
