Why ending insecurity is difficult in Nigeria — Bwala

By Lawrence Abgo

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communications, Daniel Bwala, has attributed Nigeria’s prolonged security challenges to a combination of foreign interests and cross-border terrorist activities, saying these factors have made it difficult to end insecurity completely.

Speaking on The Link Up Podcast hosted by Echoo Room, Bwala said insurgent groups operating in the Sahel region continue to pose a major threat to Nigeria because of the country’s shared borders with neighbouring states.

According to him, terrorists often cross into Nigeria from Sahel countries to launch attacks before retreating across the border, complicating efforts by security agencies to contain the violence.

Bwala also alleged that certain foreign interests have contributed to sustaining the crisis, citing the activities of some international organisations that established long-term operations in areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.

“Nigeria is also a country where there are foreign interests against the country. Many years ago, when Boko Haram started in Borno State, the non-governmental organisations that came for humanitarian, so to speak, came and were renting houses for 10 to 15 years,” he said.

Questioning the long-term projections of some organisations, he added, “How do you know you will need to stay for 10 to 15 years? What kind of projection did you do?”

The presidential aide further claimed that security operatives had, on several occasions, arrested foreign nationals alongside Boko Haram suspects during military operations.

“The army on many occasions has arrested Boko Haram members, and in their midst you will find foreign nationals. These are some of the elements that are not only fuelling the crisis, but they make the end to the crisis difficult,” Bwala said.

He noted, however, that the military has deliberately withheld the identities and nationalities of those foreign nationals for security reasons.