Security experts have advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to lend his voice to the resolve by the the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, that there should be “no amnesty for bandits” and other criminal elements.
The veterans said though the military has the capacity to quell every unrest across the country, it cannot be done without the order of Mr President who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
The experts are of the opinion that the Army Chief alone lacks the power to rule out amnesty for criminals since he takes orders from the president and commander-in-chief.
Former Army spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman (rtd), said calling for dialogue was a step in the right direction.
“There is a need for constructive engagement with all the stakeholders in the state. With meaningful dialogue among the stakeholders, it would help bring peace on the plateau”, he said, appealing to religious and community leaders to support and cooperate with the government and security agencies, and also rally against criminal elements in the society.
“They should give timely and accurate information to the security agencies. But most importantly they should preach peace and reconciliation among their people,” hw advised.
Also, a public and private security analyst and trainer, Major Banjo Daniel (rtd), said the Army, though ambitious, lacks the jurisdiction to dismiss the amnesty programme.
He started: “The Chief of Army Staff can’t rule out amnesty for bandits and terrorists except is in sync with the commander-in-chief. He is a bloody Chief of Army Staff. He reports to the CDS who reports to the commander-in-chief. It is the will of the commander-in-chief that he has to carry out. He cannot say he will not do this. Let us hear it from the president. Let Mr President come out to say that he will now go after criminals and he has not said that”.
Banjo said the government had become too friendly with criminal elements who should be deterred.
“Nigeria has become a country that is friendly with crime. During General Buhari’s time, I said the same thing; he became friendly with criminals. He wasn’t only bargaining with kidnappers; he was friendly with them. He knew where they were and sent people to go and discuss with them. So, we have accepted abnormalities that are very unfortunate because it is very difficult to go back to normality,” Daniel added.
He blamed religious and traditional leaders for the widespread killings and loss of value for life.
“The last time I heard him (Tinubu) speak was that the community leaders, religious heads and others should join together and discuss the issues. That is not how to go about it. It has been close to century nowm starting with Zango Kataf to Plateau and everywhere, and it is going to continue.
“Imagine Asari Dokubo is now friendly with the government. We accept crime. You cannot just say these people should go and settle. You give them warning; you give them a seven-day ultimatum, all stakeholders, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and families; that ‘look, these things must stop. After 7 days if it doesn’t stop I’m moving in and clearing that place out,” he said.
He called on the president to promote rule of law in running the country.
“These things must be handled legally. If a person commits crime let him be prosecuted. This is no longer a tribal thing.
“Mr President should be detribalised. He doesn’t know any tribe. He must handle it with all seriousness. Give them 7 days to settle differences or if they want him to settle it then he should fix a date and they all come forward and settle.
“He doesn’t need to parley with criminals. It is not the jurisdiction of the COAS to rule out amnesty for bandits. He doesn’t have the power. Even if he wants to do it and Mr President says ‘no’, that’s the end. It is the commander-in-chief that must give him instruction. The Army had wanted to do all these things but no political will”.
He said the Nigerian Army has the capacity to stop all the killings, including those in the South East; “even though there will be collateral damage but it will stop”.
He stated that traditional and religious leaders are accessories to the murderous activities of criminal elements.
“I don’t expect them to do anything. They are involved, they encourage these boys. They know the youths that commit these crimes. Our problem in this country starts from nowhere other than religion. If a religious leader can justify killing someone, if a religious leader can tell you you’re justified to go and kill, then what else?
“They have been aiding them. These children won’t behave like this if we had not taught them to behave this way. So traditional leaders, community leaders, family heads, clan heads, all of them are involved. It will continue unless we hold them accountable. The government must exhibit the will to end it. The government must give them warning and not parley with them. It is gone past the period of parley,” he said
The secretary general, International Institute of professional Security (IIPS), Dr. Abdullahi Mohammed Jabi, reiterated the need for fact-finding to unravel the root causes of the clashes on the Plateau.
“We need to first try to know the remote cause of the killings in Plateau, is it economic struggle,is it ethnic or religious?”
He said the crisis on the Plateau was deeply rooted, hence the need for stakeholders’ engagement.
“We must call for stakeholders dialogue and ask the parties for and against what the grievances are that are leading to this level of destruction and wanton loss of lives and properties. Every arms struggle ends on the table for discussion and resolution. We must ask them what the remote causes of the crisis are, whether it is religion, economy, exclusion or whatever.
“Engagement is key because there may be feelings of exclusion, marginalisation etc. It has a lot of coloration,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly has screened and confirmed the recently appointed Service Chiefs, as requested by President Bola Tinubu.
The Senate had earlier suspended relevant sections of its Standing Rules to allow the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Abdullah Gumel, to bring the Service Chiefs into the Chamber for the exercise.
After their arrival, the Service Chiefs were allowed a few minutes each to introduce themselves before the lawmakers resolved to go into a closed session for obvious security reasons.
Tinubu had on Tuesday asked the nation’s apex legislative assembly to confirm the appointment of the new Service Chiefs.
He made the request in a letter dated July 5, 2023, and addressed to the president of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, which he read on the floor of the Chamber at plenary.
The Service Chiefs who were screened in closed session in the Red Chambers are: Maj. Gen. Christopher Musa, Chief of Defence Staff; Maj. T. A. Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff and AVM H.B. Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff.
Speaking briefly before the screening exercise, some Senators, especially Senator Garba, vowed that the screening exercise of the Service Chiefs would be thorough and none of them would be given the privilege of a mere ‘take bow and go’.
The screening session, which lasted for three hours ended about 3.00pm, with the president of the Senate announcing that all the Service Chiefs successfully scaled through the process.
Also, after the screening in closed session, and shortly before the actual confirmation of the four Service Chiefs, the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, cautioned his colleagues on the danger of rushing after top military officers to exchange pleasantries with them.
He advised those wishing to greet the nominees to do so outside the Senate Chambers to avoid unnecessary distractions and belittling the sacred chambers of the country’s highest law making body.
In a brief remark, Akpabio he pointed out that during the closed-door screening, the service chiefs answered questions on security issues and other issues that would ensure the well-being of the country.
He read out the names of the service chiefs one after another and subjected them to voice vote by the Senators, during which they were all confirmed.
During their introduction before the Senate went into executive session for the exercise, the Service Chiefs all promised to do their best to effectively tackle the security challenges that have festered in the country.
