Killing Of Officers: Group Seeks Parallel Asymmetric Armed Forces

The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has called on the federal government to establish a parallel asymmetric armed forces structure to address the nation’s worsening insecurity, following the recent killing of a senior Army officer in an insurgent attack.

The group in a statement signed  by its executive director, Abdulrazaq Hamzat, described the killing of an Army General as  unfortunate.

It warned that the continued loss of high ranking military officers called for an urgent need to restructure internal security architecture capable of responding more effectively to asymmetric threats such as insurgency, banditry and terrorism.

The group noted that Nigeria’s conventional armed forces are increasingly being deployed in internal security operations for which they were not originally designed, resulting in overstretch and avoidable losses.

It, therefore, proposed the creation of a parallel asymmetric armed forces, designed specifically for internal security operations, including counter insurgency, counter banditry, and rapid response missions.

” Under the proposal, the Nigerian Armed Forces would continue to focus on external defence and conventional warfare, while the new structure would be dedicated to internal threats requiring intelligence driven and flexible operational tactics ,” it said.

PeacePro cited international examples to support its proposal, noting that many  countries operate dual or hybrid security systems for managing asymmetric threats.

It referenced the United States National Guard system, which provides a dual state federal response structure for emergencies and internal crises, as well as Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Basij framework, which operates alongside the conventional military but with a distinct internal and ideological security mandate.

It  added that such models demonstrate how states facing complex security environments often develop specialised parallel forces to complement conventional armies.

PeacePro warned that unless structural reforms are undertaken, the burden on the armed forces would continue to grow, potentially undermining operational effectiveness and national security outcomes.

It urged the federal government, National Assembly, and security stakeholders to immediately begin a national dialogue on security sector reform, focusing on legal frameworks, command structures, accountability mechanisms, and human rights safeguards for any proposed parallel force.

The group reiterated that its proposal is aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to respond to evolving security threats, stressing that “asymmetric challenges require asymmetric solutions.”