Mercenaries on Nigerian soil?

Difficult situation evoke ideas that can bring solutions, so I believe. No problem is insurmountable in life. Every problem usually creates an opening for solutions. It is only when the person affected by the problem is insensitive that solutions may elude him. Families, institutions and nations are  constantly faced with diverse problems; in the case of Nigeria, when such problems are noticed, instead of those constitutionally mandated to find solutions putting on their thinking cap, what is noticed is that they  further capsize the sinking boat, making it more tragic. Meanwhile, many others would proffer solutions that further exacerbate the problems.

A straightforward issue would then be seen through the lenses of religion, ethnicity or other selfish dispositions. These anti-national tendencies have further deepened and widened the many gaps in the country. No wonder, most of the security problems that have bedevilled most parts of Northern Nigeria are mostly seen by some politicians as the problem of northerners, instead of viewing it as a Nigerian pronblem. The wrong notion that, since it has ethnic and religious colorations, it is a sectional problem, should never be allowed to hold any water. That is if we truly want a united country. Did our leaders not say “To keep Nigeria one, is a task that must be done”? It is, therefore, unfortunate to hear some political leaders suggesting that the President and Commander-in-Chief should as a matter of urgency employ the services of foreign mercenaries to fight the Boko Haram war. 

According to war records, which gave an insight into the real mindset of mercenaries’ motive, “On October 24, Russia concluded its Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, seeking to deepen Moscow’s relations with the continent. Notably, security cooperation formed a key component of the agenda. However, Russian security operations in Africa prove more nuanced, as Russia deploys private military companies (PMC) to pursue its geopolitical ambitions. Echoing its Syria strategy, Russian PMCs operate in Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic (CAR), among other countries. As a result, Russian security influence stretches from the Eastern Mediterranean to the North African coast and the central African interior.”

Mercenaries are like the kite bird that hovers in the sky looking for easy prey for a meal. No wonder they are described as “soldiers of fortune.” It started in the 20th century, and mercenaries have increasingly come to be seen as less entitled to protection by rules of war than non-mercenaries.

A mercenary, also known as a soldier of fortune, is an individual who takes part in military conflict for personal profit. He is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rather than for political interests.

The Geneva Conventions declare that mercenaries are not recognized as legitimate combatants and do not have to be granted the same legal protections as captured service personnel of a regular army. In practice, whether or not a person is a mercenary may be a matter of degree, as financial and political interests may overlap, as was often the case in all of history. Also, in “International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries adopted and opened for signature and ratification by General Assembly resolution 44/34 of 4th December, 1989, he is neither a national of a party to the conflict nor a resident of territory controlled by a party to the conflict; primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics.

The calls to invite mercenaries may have been mooted by the same people who suggested the idea in 2014 to President Goodluck Jonathan, when he engaged the services of a South Africa-based mercenary military contractor Mr. Eeben Barlow, to provide “specialized tasks” and training in new weapons and tactics to the Nigerian Army.

But the organization withdrew from the battle in March 2015 following the emergence of Buhari in February of the same year.

According to reports, President Buhari stopped them from carrying on fighting Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria in 2015. In his report, the president of the organization, Barlow, said, “The initial three-phase campaign strategy (known as ‘Operational Anvil’) to degrade and destroy BH in Borno State, was rejected by his advisors.” Barlow added that the company was willing to stay back in the North-East but the President (Buhari) “made it known that the company’s presence would not be tolerated under his office.”

It is interesting that immediately the call for the President to embrace the idea of mercenaries was again canvased, the National Security Adviser rejected the idea. These men are retired soldiers with abundant knowledge of the role of mercenaries in war-torn countries. Their footprints are there for people to see in Libya, Sudan Afghanistan, Somalia and other conflict zones of the world.

The question is, if our soldiers are well equipped like the mercenaries, if the welfare of our soldiers are given priority and if politicians  are not allowed involment and to actualise corrupt tendencies, why would the war take so long? After all, Nigerian soldiers have better training. But do they have all that is needed to fight the war? Inviting mercenaries into Nigeria is like inviting a “ruffian” to your well-organized and furnished house, he would ‘scatter’ the house to your amazement.  Boko Haram terrorists’ agenda is aimed at phasing out western education, an ideology they strongly hold on to. Like I had graphically explained in past columns, these bandits rampaging all over the land are offshoots of Boko Haram. That is why they tenaciously carry out the same ideology by abducting students so as to scare them away from accessing western education.

If the President can ensure and provide our military all they require, there is no need to invite mercenaries into our land.

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Hausanisation of efcc (4)

The newly appointed executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Abdulrasheed Bawa, being a pioneer staff of the organisation and having distinguished himself in the course of his decades of duty, one is impressed with the President’s move to keep the Nigeria Police away from the environment of the commission. After all, when you are disappointed more than four times, you have to blame yourself if you are trapped by the same trap.

      By this move, Nigerians are provided with a new lense to closely monitor the activities of the new helmsman at EFCC, his modus operandi, whether it would be more tilted to ethnic and religious dispositions. Nigerians would watch closely to know if only a particular section of the country would be more on the staff list of the commission.

      When leaders exhibit traits of sectionalism, either in appointment or while carrying out their duties, it further diminishes the reputation of the organisation.

(To be continued)