Recently, the Minister of State for Defence, Hon Bello Matawalle, arrived in Sokoto State in style, donning an army combat uniform. He flew into the troubled state and was greeted by top military personnel as he alighted from the plane.
He claimed to be following President Bola Tinubu’s directive mandating security chiefs relocate to the Seat of the Caliphate. He was in the company of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and other top military personnel.
The directive also covers Zamfara, Katsina, and Kebbi states, which have been severely affected by these criminal activities. Sokoto is the Headquarters of the region’s General Officer Commanding (GOC).
The move followed an escalation of terrorist and criminal activities, which led to the death of the District Head of Gatawa District in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, Isa Bawa. The traditional ruler was killed after about three weeks in their captivity.
Matawalle, CDS, Service Chiefs To Flush Out Bandits In North West
As if this was not bad enough, viral videos by notorious bandit leader Bello Turji, who operates in Zamfara, Sokoto and Niger states, daring the military, have left the government embarrassed.
The terrorist, having enslaved villagers in those states, recently did a video of a stuck military armoured vehicle which his followers set ablaze.
For close to a decade, cases of attacks and mass abductions in the northwest states have deteriorated, with many local communities now controlled by armed terrorists who demand taxes from locals.
Nevertheless, the relocation directive is, in many ways, the Tinubu administration’s first display of federal might in addressing the insecurity in the North.
While the directive would seem to stir up morale among the troops, the minister and service chiefs’ grand arrival on the scene could be interpreted as a renewed resolve to arrest this decade-long scourge.
However, directives for service chiefs to relocate to crisis areas are not new, especially when the North is concerned. Immediate-past President Muhammadu Buhari also ordered his military chiefs to relocate to Borno at the height of the Boko Haram insurgency. Although the military achieved some battlefield successes against the terrorists, the Boko Haram insurgency is still on, just as the terrorists were reported to have spread to other northern states such as Niger and Kogi and into the North West.
Also, Buhari ordered the then Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to immediately relocate to Benue State to prevent further loss of lives and forestall the crisis in the state from escalating and spreading.
If recent history is anything to go by, mere directives and grand entries do not achieve results. If this directive is to be effective, then the president must sustain the tempo and be ready to wield the big stick.
It is pertinent for the minister and service chiefs to realise that this directive is a significant show of Nigeria’s federal might, which cannot afford to fail for obvious reasons. It cannot be business as usual.
It is noteworthy that at least five military operations are ongoing in the 19 Northern States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The five military operations ongoing in the 19 Northern States include: Operation Hadin Kai in the North East against Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists; Operation Hadarin Daji in the North West against banditry, and Operation Safe Haven in the North Central, all aimed at tackling insecurity.
Others are Operation Whirl Punch in the North West, and Operation Whirl Stroke in the North Central to combat farmers/herders clashes.
These operations have undoubtedly yielded results. But clearly, a lot more needs to be done, and fast. It is hoped that the relocation directive will kill the decade-long criminal enterprise masquerading as terrorists and bandits once and for all. Anything short of this will be perceived as an outright failure.
We also caution that the military should ensure these criminals did not spread to other parts of the country. We expect that a coordinated country-wide intelligence approach will be deployed to keep track of the criminals’ movements as the battle intensifies.
Ultimately, firepower is as essential as it is ephemeral in addressing the security crisis. As critical as the use of force is, it is unsustainable in the long run.
The long-lasting victory against insecurity is inclusive, responsive, responsible, credible governance in the region that will address issues of poverty, literacy, healthcare, unemployment, and other challenges in the region.
This means that the region, nay the country, cannot afford to have governors, ministers, or leaders who project divisive tendencies and devalue meritocracy, intellect, and productivity for the region.
It’s a good thing that the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) last week called for an end to the insecurity that has ravaged the zone for decades.
That charge goes to the two ministers of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and Bello Matawalle, from the North as well as the National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Christopher Musa, all from the same northern region.
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