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From Desmond Mgboh,
The Publicity Secretary of the Retired Army, Navy, Airforce Officers Association (RANOA), Captain Yusuf Abdulmalik (retired) has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deploy diplomacy and dialogue relating to the military intervention in Niger Republic.
Speaking to Sunday Sun in Kano, the octogenarian insisted that a reasonable number of Nigerians from the core- North have their historical backgrounds in Niger Republic, adding that some of them are related to Niger Republic through inter- marriages.
He, therefore, insisted that deploying Nigerian soldiers against the Niger Republic is like asking brothers to kill each other while insisting that the people of the North (Hausa/Fulani) and their neighbors in Niger Republic are brothers and should never go to war with each other..
Captain Abdullamalik added that, “During the Nigeria Civil War, the people of Niger Republic gave their Nigerian counterpart their full support against the Biafran forces. I remember they stood their ground against President Charle de Gaulle, the leader of France, and ensured that he did not use the land borders of Niger Republic to extend any form of military support to Biafra.
“Is Niger Republic the first country to suffer from military intervention in the West African sub- region? Why the huge interest in their case? Why is it that everybody including Nigeria is interested to the extent of recommending war as a solution?” he questioned.
Abdulmalik, who fought the Nigerian civil war, warned that modern day warfare is not a joke adding that as simple as it appeared, overcoming Niger Republic in military combat may not be an easy task given the number of foreign interests that are supporting them or are likely to back them against ECOWAS or Nigeria.
The elder statesman insisted that the people of Niger Republic, not Nigeria or ECOWAS, are in the best position to relate to the military intervention and chant the destiny of their country.
“The best thing to do is to take the path of dialogue and continue to encourage the military rulers there to ensure the safety of the detained politicians and to hands up power in due course” he stated.
