Northern Youths Back Military, Warn Against Politicising Security Crisis

The Arewa Youth Assembly has expressed total solidarity with the Armed Forces in the war against insecurity and called on citizens to provide actionable intelligence, urging the political class not to politicise the blood and sweat of the nation’s gallant troops.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, spokesperson of the Arewa Youth Assembly, Aliyu Muhammad Sanni, said that while the war against insecurity is not yet completely over, the trajectory is decidedly positive.

The group commended and supported what it described as the exceptional leadership, strategic vision, and operational successes recorded by Nigeria’s Service Chiefs.

“Acknowledging the unprecedented strategic gains under the current security architecture, the Assembly specifically praised the powerful synergy between the Honourable Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (Rtd); the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Wahidi Shaibu; and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sunday Kelvin Aneke.

“The Assembly attributed the return of relative calm in many previously besieged communities directly to their resolute and innovative leadership in confronting Nigeria’s hydra-headed security challenges.

“To fully appreciate the current momentum, one must first cast a retrospective glance at the dire security quagmire that plagued the nation prior to this administration,” the group said.

It noted that for over a decade, the sovereignty of the state was violently challenged by a constellation of non-state actors, each presenting a uniquely pernicious threat to national stability across distinct geographical theatres.

“The North-East remained the epicentre of a Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgency so entrenched that terrorists carved out a parallel state, hoisting flags and imposing a brutal economic regime on millions.

“Simultaneously, the North-West was transformed into blood-soaked killing fields by marauding bandit groups led by infamous kingpins such as Bello Turji, Halilu Sububu, Dogo Gide, Ali Kachalla, and the late Dankarami.

“The South-East was crippled by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), which enforced deadly sit-at-home orders while wantonly attacking state infrastructure.

“Even the South-South and South-West felt the menace, from resurgent militancy disrupting oil production to ISWAP infiltration cells and violent herder-farmer clashes creeping into borderlands.

“Under that previous dispensation, the morale of the fighting force was at an all-time low, plagued by outdated equipment, poor inter-service cooperation, and a reactive operational doctrine that ceded the initiative to multi-front criminality.

“It is against this backdrop of near hopelessness that the current achievements stand as a monumental testament to visionary leadership.

“Since assuming office, and under the strategic oversight of the Defence Minister, the Armed Forces have shifted from a defensive posture to a high-octane, intelligence-led precision offensive. The Assembly notes with grim satisfaction the systematic decapitation of the terror hierarchy across all operational theatres, a feat that has directly enabled the return of relative peace.

“Within this cohesive architecture, however, the Assembly reserves special and profound commendation for the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Wahidi Shaibu. It is on the unforgiving terrain of the frontlines that the battle for Nigeria’s soul is ultimately decided, and it is here that the COAS has etched his legacy as a soldier’s soldier and a strategic genius.

“Lt. Gen. Shaibu has not only demonstrated an extraordinary grasp of asymmetric warfare, outmanoeuvring agile and ruthless non-state actors across multiple theatres, but he has done so by fundamentally transforming the Nigerian Army’s soul. His leadership style uniquely fuses lethal operational capability with an unprecedented human-centred command philosophy, recognising that a soldier’s morale is his deadliest weapon.

“By clearing backlogged insurance claims, embarking on a massive renovation of barracks and schools, and introducing affordable housing schemes, he has restored the dignity and fighting spirit of the rank and file, earning their absolute loyalty and translating that morale into relentless kinetic pressure that has systematically degraded insurgent and bandit networks.

“His bold, lead-from-the-front ethos has rekindled public confidence and imbued the entire Army with a palpable winning spirit that is demonstrably reasserting state authority across every threatened region.

“This masterful leadership, replicated across the services, has produced a series of game-changing initiatives that are transforming the operational landscape. The current leadership has institutionalised a force-multiplying synergy where continuous active air cover provides real-time precision strikes for ground troops, eliminating ambush threats before contact and drastically reducing troop casualties.

“Simultaneously, a bold policy pivot by the Defence Minister away from over-reliance on slow foreign procurement, through the resuscitation of the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON), has resulted in the mass production of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and in-country maintenance of air platforms, keeping the fleet mission-ready at all times.

“In a unique deviation from purely ‘hard power,’ these initiatives are further reinforced by a psychosocial approach, with derivatives of ‘Operation Safe Corridor’ draining the recruiting base of terror groups by facilitating the surrender of heavy weaponry and enabling the rapid return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes, now stabilised by the Army,” the northern youths added.