Recently, the Senate, in reaction to the resurgence of terrorist activities in Borno and Yobe States, called for urgent deployment of adequate troops to the North-East region. The senators also stressed the need for military personnel and other security operatives to be adequately equipped with modern weapons and backed by technology, to effectively tackle the rising insecurity across the country.
The Senate was not crying wolf where there is none. In recent times, there have been renewed attacks by terrorists in Borno State and other parts of the North-East region. There have also been herdsmen’s killings in Benue State, banditry in the North-West and wanton killings in other regions of the country.
This shows that the war against terrorism, banditry, insurgency and other criminalities in the country is far from being over. In almost all the theaters of the war, it appears that terrorists, bandits and criminal herdsmen are having a field day, as they maim, kill and destroy property almost at ease.
The situation was so bad in Borno, for instance, that the state governor, Alhaji Babagana Zulum, raised the alarm that the Boko Haram terrorists were in control of some parts of the state. Similarly, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) lamented that insurgents had ferociously returned in the North-East. In Benue State, Governor Hyacinth Alia recently cried out, highlighting the relentless killings in his state.
With bloodletting becoming a daily occurrence and Nigerians feeling unsafe, there is no other expectation from the federal government other than to perform its constitutional role of ensuring security and welfare of the citizenry. The survival and progress of the country rest on the provision of security, which could only be achieved if the government uses everything at its disposal to confront the devastating challenge.
It must be said that the federal government has done much to contain the insurgents and other criminal elements across the country in the last two years. Some achievements have been recorded in the war against terrorism, with the government effectively deploying some strategies to confront terrorists, including kinetic and non-kinetic measures.
We are aware that successive governments in Nigeria have leveraged on regional military cooperation to keep the Boko Haram insurgents at bay in the North-East region. The government has also sought assistance from friendly countries in a bid to decimate the insurgents, just as it had acquired sophisticated weapons, including Tucano jet fighters, which had been deployed in the war zones.
Sadly, despite all efforts to overcome general insecurity in the country, it appears that terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and killings are spreading across the country at great speed. That is why notable Nigerians are calling for drastic measures to contain the worsening security challenge, including the deployment of foreign mercenaries in the prosecution of the war.
We recall that in 2021, the House of Representatives urged the then President Muhammadu Buhari to consider the use of defence contractors or mercenaries for targeted security operations against insurgency and terrorism in the country. It also recommended that a special team of 40,000 Police Mobile Unit officers be specially trained to deal with insecurity.
Last year, a member of the House of Representatives from Borno State, Ahmed Jaha, had called on the federal government to hire foreign mercenaries to confront insecurity ravaging the country. The lawmaker, who represents Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza federal constituency, stated that former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was battered with the challenges of insecurity from Boko Haram, and it had to procure the services of mercenaries to partner with the military in the war against terrorism, which produced good result.
We know that President Bola Tinubu’s government, in January this year, rejected the call for the use of foreign mercenaries to address the country’s security challenges, reasoning that such a measure does not offer a sustainable solution. But the situation on ground calls for the reconsideration of such stance. When terrorists, bandits and insurgents are running riot and controlling territories, there is an urgent need for the government to use any method that would change the trajectory and keep the country safe. We are persuaded that the use of trained and tested defence contractors or mercenaries, who would collaborate with our military, would add strong bite to the war against terrorism.
Some African countries have used foreign mercenaries to combat insurgency. For instance, Mali engaged the services of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary company since 2021 to assist the military in fighting insurgents. Also, Russia’s mercenaries have been involved in Libya, Mozambique and Sudan.
Since the Jonathan government deployed foreign mercenaries to a great success, the Tinubu administration can try this option in tackling the increasing terror attacks and banditry in some parts of the country. Using mercenaries is not an indictment of the military or a vote of no confidence. It is simply a total declaration of war, with the aim of ending the activities of dangerous criminals, who want to make the country unsafe and frustrate peace and progress, once and for all.
The use of mercenaries will also add impetus to the federal government’s decision to establish forest guards meant to keep away kidnappers, bandits and terrorists from our forests. The forest guards, well-trained and equipped with sophisticated weapons, should act as a formidable force that would give farmers confidence to return to their farms.
Above all, the federal government should intentionally increase the numerical strength of our police and armed forces in line with our growing population. The number we have now is abysmally low to secure the country and ward-off terrorism. The government should also adequately equip the military, the police and other security agencies. Strong security forces would keep the country safe after the mercenaries and the military must have won the war.