Why The Security Agencies Need Internal Cleansing

As a result of the killings in Plateau State, Governor Caleb Mutfwang has expressed his concern about the probable infiltration of the security agencies in the country by criminal elements.

In a recent television interview he said, “…Let me also say this; fifth columnists have infiltrated the security agencies. This is a fact we must confront as a nation. There are many people who should not be there; they are agents of these criminals, and sometimes they even compromise their colleagues. And that is why you have a lot of ambushes sometimes when these security agencies are going on operations.”

A fifth column is described as a group of people who undermine a larger group or nation from within, usually in favour of an enemy group or another nation, and they include organised actions by military personnel who engage in sabotage and terrorism, among others.

The governor’s claim was echoed by the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Mangu local government area of Plateau State, and the director of public affairs, Mwaghavul Development Association, Lawrence Kyarshik, who claimed that military personnel were biased in favour of the assailants, and actually took part in killing residents and torching houses.

Also, local vigilance group, Operation Rainbow, set up to complement the efforts of the security agencies in the state, said it duly provided the “intelligence report to the formal security forces in the state of what was about to happen, regrettably our people were killed in hundreds and the formal security forces did nothing to avert this killing.”

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A few days after the latest killings in Mangu, some locals protested and called for total withdrawal of the military from the crises-prone areas, saying they preferred to have the police and other security operatives.

All these prompted the Plateau State Government to call on the military authorities to probe the allegations. However, the military authorities have stoutly dismissed the allegations, describing them as baseless.

The chief of army staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, during a recent visit to the state, denied the allegation that troops of the Nigerian Army deployed to Plateau State were biased in their operations.

Also, the Defence Headquarters put out a strong rebuttal: “We want to reiterate that the military remains neutral, focused, professional and committed to its constitutional role of protecting the lives and property of law-abiding citizens… We will not be distracted by baseless accusations and remain steadfast in our commitment to restoring peace and security…We strongly caution individuals involved in making malicious comments against the military to cease such acts. Henceforth, any person found spreading falsehoods will face constitutional redress, regardless of their status in society.”

However, not a few Nigerians were horrified that during the coordinated attacks in over 20 villages in three local government areas of Mangu, Bokkos and Barkin Ladi in Plateau State during Christmas which left over 200 dead and many others injured and another round of attacks in Mangu in January this year in which about 30 persons were killed, military men could not ward off or stop the killings that lasted days despite distress calls from the victims, and despite the presence of the military’s Operation Safe Haven in the state.

We recall that this is not the first time such allegations are being made about killings in the North Central areas of the country where thousands have been dispatched to their early graves by marauders they accuse of pursuing an agenda to annihilate the inhabitants of the areas.

Back in 2018, a former chief of army staff, Lieutenant General Theophilus Danjuma (retd), accused the Nigerian Armed Forces of complicity in the killings in Taraba, Benue and other states in the country. Speaking at a Taraba State University convocation in Jalingo, the state capital, he said the military was not neutral and was providing cover for those behind the killings.

“The armed forces are not neutral; they collude with the armed bandits that kill people, kill Nigerians. They facilitate their movement. They cover them. If you are depending on the Armed Forces to stop the killings, you will all die one by one,” he said.

As a newspaper, we recognise and appreciate the great efforts that security agencies and their personnel are making to combat the terrorists and other criminal elements wreaking havoc on Nigeria, with many of them paying the ultimate price in the patriotic line of duty. We also acknowledge that the security agencies are composed of competent persons who exhibit the highest professional ethos in their duties. However, as the saying goes, in every twelve, there is a Judas. So, it is not impossible that there are traitors within the ranks who act contrary to expectations.

It is on the basis of this that we urge the armed forces to, as a matter of utmost urgency to critically look inwards to see if there is any merit in the allegations. We would like to advise that due diligence be strictly observed to ensure that wrong candidates are not recruited into the security agencies in the first place. Also, the security forces must continually look into the activities of its personnel to weed out bad elements.