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Prof. Sunday Ochoche, Executive Director, Victims Support Fund, has called on the Federal Government to critically review the issue of insurgency to end its operations in the country.
Ochoche made the call while delivering a paper on Boko Haram insurgency and other conflicts in Nigeria with the title: ‘`Insurgency and Counter Insurgency in Nigeria: Critical Perspective on Boko Haram,” on Thursday in Abuja.
He said that government needed to do more and give the issue of insurgency the kind of seriousness it deserves.
“For us as a nation I believe we first need to follow carefully these traits and these developments in a better way.
‘’The state and the security agencies need to have a stronger understanding of the way these conflicts are emerging and what is really driving them.
“ We need to have better analysis of the situation to be able to put in place some mechanisms
“When I see the way we are going especially about North East and North Central, what is happening in Zamfara, in Kastina and some of these places is more than just banditry.”
He said there was strong evidence to suggest that escalation of the crisis in the North East and North Central today manifesting in herders/farmers clashes, or banditry were strongly linked to the movement and the relocation of the activities of some of these terror groups in those areas.
“In the North Central in Plateau, in Benue, in Taraba is more than herdsmen -farmers clashes.
“Yes, these conflicts existed there and some of them are still existing, but we are tagging the wrong conflicts more serious issues with these terms and that is not going to be very helpful for us.”
Ochoche explained that historically terrorists tends to split their internal disagreement on ideologies, on economy of politics is always strong and given their nature,
“Managing those internal challenges and contradictions is always strong, it is always not easy and they always therefore tend to split and move elsewhere and that has been the case with Boko Haram as well.
“From what was initially one organisation, from different group under different people with different affiliation nationally and internationally as a result of which we have erstwhile Alkaida and all those different groups that are strongly operating and being in partnership with Nigerian component.
Speaking on the seemingly helplessness of the military on the situation, the expert said too much responsibilities were ascribed to the military.
He stressed that the responsibility for internal security does not belong to the military, adding, that the police role was being undermined.
“It is looking as we don’t have police force anymore and the primary responsibility of this internal security lies with the police.
“Much more that any of the security agencies will do, is the appreciation of the situation by the political class. We need a proper understanding and appreciation of what is happening by the political class.”
He opines that he political elite needed to task the appropriate security agencies and equip them appropriately for what is required to be done.
According to him, we need more indication of the seriousness of the political class and the appreciation of the crisis that is at hand
“We are in an abnormal situation and we cannot be living like all is well therefore the government should give the situation the seriousness it deserves to end it,` he sad.(NAN)
