From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has lambasted President Bola Tinubu and the service chiefs over what he described as a complete failure to implement a winning strategy in the fight against terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.
It expressed outrage over the recent developments in Zamfara and Niger states, where terrorists have continued to terrorize local communities and capture military hardware that has further exposed the weaknesses in Nigeria’s security apparatus.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement yesterday, dismissed President Tinubu’s decision to send a delegation led by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, to Sokoto as part of efforts to address banditry and terrorism in the North West, describing it as mere political posturing.
Onwubiko questioned the effectiveness of dispatching high-profile government officials to Sokoto without a clear, actionable plan.
“Sending a Minister or the CDS to Sokoto is not a strategy; it is a political stunt. Are these officials going to lead troops into battle? Are they going to dismantle terrorist networks themselves?
“This is not what Nigerians expect from their leaders. Nigerians want a real, winning strategy—something the current administration and military chiefs have failed to deliver,” he said.
He described as incompetence the reason for the persistent failure in the fight against terrorism.
“There is no excuse for the President to continue appointing incompetent military leaders when there are qualified generals across various ethnic groups who can lead this country out of the security quagmire.
“The continued reliance on generals who lack the strategic acumen to defeat these terrorists is not only frustrating but dangerous for the country.
“How can a country continue to fight terrorism for over a decade without any sign of victory?
Some top Generals in the military are using the counter-terrorism war as a multi-billion naira franchise for themselves.
“There is no other explanation for the continuous failures we are witnessing. The President must put aside political considerations and appoint leaders based on merit if he truly wants to see an end to this crisis,” he said.