Security emergency must be total

File photo: Terrorists

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PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has finally declared a nationwide security emergency to combat Nigeria’s escalating insecurity, a bold step that previous governments inexplicably avoided.

The November 26 announcement followed international relations expert Bolaji Akinyemi’s recommendation, spurred by mass attacks on schools and churches, plus abductions of schoolchildren and worshippers.

In the past three weeks alone, at least 490 Nigerians, including schoolchildren, worshippers, and farmers, were abducted across Kebbi, Niger, Zamfara, Kogi, and Borno states.

This prompted the Federal Government to shut down 41 Unity Schools nationwide, and states to close public schools in Kwara, Yobe, Kebbi, Katsina, Niger, Taraba, and Bauchi.

Shockingly, three days post-declaration, bandits attacked a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Kogi State, abducting the pastor, his wife, and other worshippers.

From Boko Haram’s 2009 origins in parts of Borno State, the initial group has splintered into ISWAP, Ansaru, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, Mahmuda, and Lakurawa, joined by herders, kidnappers, and bandits terrorising the country, government, and security forces.

The terrorists have slaughtered over 100,000 Nigerians and displaced over two million others.

A National Bureau of Statistics survey estimated 2.24 million kidnapping incidents from May 2023 to April 2024, with households paying an average of N2.7 billion in ransoms.

The PUNCH reported in August 2022 that terrorists attacked 16 military bases in the 18 months to that time, killing 750 soldiers.

In response, Tinubu ordered additional Armed Forces recruitment, authorising the recruitment of 20,000 more police officers, bringing the total to 50,000, while pledging support for state security outfits and urging the National Assembly to enable state police where needed.

Although the three windows of the security emergency rule declared by the President are critical to Nigeria’s security, they are not far-reaching enough to deliver the desired peace and security. Tinubu must go the whole hog.

The pervasive insecurity that has earned the country an unenviable “Country of Particular Concern” label should shock Nigeria into adopting state police.

Therefore, the NASS must expeditiously approve the establishment of state police as the first line of defence in the various communities that lack police presence. Governors must be in charge of their territories under federalism.

The President must expand the security emergency windows to include some of Akinyemi’s suggestions, such as the suspension of the Armed Forces Act 2004, which limits the retirement of soldiers at 60 years of age or 35 years in service.

Going forward, the retirement age of serving officers may be extended to 65 under the extant circumstances to retain experienced and competent soldiers.

As Akinyemi noted, the British suspended some policies during World War II, and the Nigerian military amended retirement provisions during the Civil War.

Other issues are fundamental to the total prosecution of the security emergency and achievement of peace.

The culture of mass retirement of officers upon the appointment of their juniors as Service Chiefs is delicate. While Nigeria faces chronic insecurity, The PUNCH reported that a total of 542 non-commissioned military officers retired after 35 years in service.

In an October report, Daily Trust suggested that at least 60 senior military officers, including generals, many of whom were under 60, would leave the service following the appointment of the new service chiefs by Tinubu. That has been the trend since 1999, constituting a waste of valuable resources.

The strongest indication that the Federal Government is serious about taming insecurity is finding the courage to apprehend and prosecute the sponsors and masterminds of insecurity. Where is the UAE list of Boko Haram sponsors handed to the Federal Government?

Tinubu must be decisive in dealing with terror sponsors and cut off funding sources, including illegal mining, money laundering through cattle trade, and offshore transfers. Nigeria’s borders should be made more secure, while identity management must be taken more seriously.

The declaration of a security emergency is a defining moment for security in the country. It must be done right. It must be total.

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