As Nigeria continues to battle insecurity, a rights group, Conference of Civil Society for Peace, Security and National Development has urged the managers of the nation’s security architecture to resist any form of disunity amongst them to enable the nation defeat insurgency and other forms of insecurity.
The CSOs apparently reacting to comments from the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (Rtd.) credited to President Muhammadu Buhari where he said excuses will no longer be tolerated from his Service Chiefs over the spate of insecurity across the country warned that allowing discord of any form at this time would lead to relapse of the gains made in the fight against insurgency and banditry.
It would be recalled that the NSA, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (Rtd.) had told State House Correspondents that President Muhammadu Buhari was unhappy with the current state of security in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by Comrade Mike Msuaan and Mallam Adamu Kabir Matazu, conveners of the CSOs, praised the Nigeria military for the efforts made in ending insurgency, banditry and other forms of criminality and called for sustenance of the tempo.
“The fight against insurgency is been largely won through the gallantry displayed by the Nigerian military. However, collaboration is required from all strata of the security architecture. This is where we find it necessary to caution the NSA to be weary of remarks on the security situation. The NSA and the security chiefs ought to be on the same page on operations in the war theatre. The purpose for the existence of the NSA and the various security agencies is for the security of the nation.
“So, when the NSA makes comments that suggests that he is not a part of the security agencies, it is tantamount to dampening the morale of the security chiefs and their troops.
“No one in Nigeria today can fend ignorance of the efforts of the Nigerian military in taming insurgency in the country. It was in this country that it was once normal for bomb blast to detonate on a daily basis including the nation’s capital. All that is forgotten now. While we acknowledge that there are still pockets of crises here and there, we must not fail to note the huge successes recorded so that those on the fringes of the war would be encouraged.
“As stakeholders who believe in the Nigeria project, we have elected to stand for unity and peace of the nation. It is in this wise that we urge the Federal Government to disregard calls for the sacking of the current service chiefs. Those making such calls are not doing so in the interest of the nation but their pecuniary gains.
“We herein also urged the NSA to show leadership by not allowing himself to be reactionary in his comments on the fight against insurgency. We understand that there is pressure on the managers of the nation’s security architecture particularly from those who have taken side with insurgents for pecuniary gains.
The CSOs further explained that the security situation in the country has improved significantly following the coming of the current government explaining that fighting insurgency was not as simple as some people imagine.
“The situation degenerated to a point where citizens deserted the north eastern states almost completely. Average Nigerians had given up hope on the sovereignty of the country. Hope however, began to return when Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai assumed office in July 2015 as he quickly evolved a master plan of taking war to the door steps of the terrorists, away from the reactionary approach adopted in the past. This art of war coupled with credible intelligence gathering has seen the destruction and killing of several terrorists’ leaders, camps and hide outs through a coordinated ground and aerial bombardment”, the statement added.
