The Nigerian Army has raised an alarm that the war on terror launched by the Nigerian government may suffer a setback as the surrendered terrorist fighters are sabotaging the fight against the insurgent. The theatre Commander of “Operation Hadin Kai” Maj. General, Christopher Musa made the revelation that the repentant terrorist who claimed to have surrendered had some ulterior motives. The Federal Government has expressed concern over the rising insecurity in the country ranging from activities of insurgents to bandits and other unscrupulous elements for using the country’s non-commercial radio frequency spectrum void of licence and appropriate fees.
Bothered by the activities of terrorism in the sub-region, the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) said the deteriorating insecurity is threatening the integration and stability of the region. It was revealed that a lot of foreign donors have refused to relent in sponsoring the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Speaking during the Chief of Army Staff Conference, the Army commander revealed that they are about 20,000 terrorists that have given up the fight, but the problem now is that what will the army do with this army of terrorists?
He said, some Nigerians have thought that after surrendering, the game will be over and this is not feasible, saying, “Frankly speaking, for us, this is a good development.
Gen. Musa added, “A lot of people have been thinking and also expressing mixed feelings if at all the news is true. Of course, there are some insurgents who truly wish to surrender, but we cannot jettison the fact that some of them do have ulterior motives.
The Army chief explained that it is a true development if it is being followed up within the right way, then we shall see the end of the terror sooner than expected.
However, with the fall of their leader, Abubakar Shekau, the ISWAP have become more deadly. He said: “Before Shekau died, they (Boko Haram fighters) pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in the West African Province ISWAP and ISWAP gets its funding from foreign donors. It is the lust for these monies that have further emboldened them. This is why they overran Shekau. These people who are enemies of the nation, who do not want peace in Nigeria, are the same people pushing ISWAP too. It has nothing to do with religion or any form of ideology but is purely driven by the quest for money.
The General slammed the rumour that the military has been overstretched. He disclosed, “No group can outstretch the Armed Forces of Nigeria. What people need to understand is, we in the military can easily be identified because we put on uniforms. These guys go on mufti and we cannot just go into a community and start killing everybody. If we have to do this, then, this fight would have ended.
He queried “But what about the collateral damage on the part of innocent civilians? If we have to shoot, then, we must target the real trouble makers and not just anyone. This is the problem. They mingle among civilians. This is why it has become so difficult. If it is conventional warfare, we would have finished them a long time ago.”
Speaking on the sideline, The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Mr Bitrus Bako Nabasu, who spoke in Lagos on the sidelines of a stakeholders’ forum, tagged: ‘Sensitisation on Sustainable Frequency Spectrum Management Development for non-Commercial Radio Frequency Users’, said bandits and terrorist groups using the radio frequency spectrum illegally, threaten national security and interfere in the frequency.
He laments that his office is worried that some organisation that are not commercial users uses this radio frequency illegally especially the terrorists through the use of spectrum they got from online stores. He explained that “Although the ministry has monitoring equipment to monitor those using the radio frequency spectrum illegally, the range of coverage is limited and cannot reach inside the forest and deep territorial waters. However, our monitoring equipment can detect those using the radio frequency illegally within the cities.”
The Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayoko, in his contribution, said, ‘it is a continual threat to our region, which could undermine integration agenda and regional stability. Attacks by terrorist and violent extremist groups are increasing across the region, leaving no member state spared as potential targets.
He laments the Military taking over the government in Mali and Guinea is another factor that added to the insecurity in the region. “Attacks from terrorists and violent extremists have moved with banditry kidnapping, Farmer herder dynamics and transnational organised crime leaving a trail of death and destruction. Which he said must be addressed.
