THE FIGHT AGAINST INSECURITY AND SUCCESSES RECORDED BY THE OUTGOING BUHARI ADMINISTRATION

President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration which came into power in 2015, made National Security as one of the five Point Agenda of his administration with the Armed Forces of Nigeria as the arrow-head in the fight against insurgency and banditry.

The administration invested heavily in human and material resources with a view to putting an end to terrorism in the nation’s territories by working on how to protect and preserve the lives and property of Nigerians as well as foreigners who live and do business in the country.

The resolve of the government to employ military might to decimate the threat to lives and property of Nigerians was sequel to the campaign of violence orchestrated by sects like the Boko Haram, which annexed parts of Borno State in north eastern part of Nigeria where it had declared an Islamic State against the constitution and sovereignty of the Nigerian nation shortly before the coming to power of the Buhari Administration.

The activities of bandits and insurgent groups in the region by a way of violent attacks and incursions into the hitherto peaceful communities around the Lake Chad and Sambisa forest left the administration with no option than to apply full military force for maximum result.

Initial attempts by the military to tackle the emerging insurgency through kinetic and none kinetic approach to avoid collateral damage of lives and property resulted to some losses as the Boko Haram insurgents refused to relent in their attacks on soft targets particularly in Yobe and Borno States the epicenters of the insurgency in the country.

Apart from the presence of terrorists in the northeastern part of the country, other parts of Nigeria especially the North-Central, Southeast where banditry and the insurrections by the Indigenous People of Biafra held sway, Southwest and in the Gulf of Guinea with pirates’ attacks on merchant ships and oil vessels, pipeline vandalism complicated the fight against insurgents and overstretched the efforts of the security agencies in the country.

Faced with this reality, the government sought and obtained the approvals of the National Assembly to acquire necessary weapons and modern equipment needed to boost the fire power of the Nigerian Army, the Police and other security agencies involved in the physical battle against terrorists. This was the game changer as all territories hitherto occupied by terrorists were all recovered and many of the people who were held captive by bandits rescued with some of the bandits surrendering to the Armed Forces.

The Administration of President Buhari also continued to pursue a programme of de-radicalization of repentant terrorists and those who were forced to join the groups before re-integrating them into the society.

In the fight against piracy in the Niger Delta, the introduction of effective control measures by the Nigerian Navy led to some very significant successes leading to the arrest and detention of 492 illegal vessels from 2015 to 2022, protection of off-shore assets with the deployment of Nigerian Navy Platforms.

There has also been the projection of air power by the Nigerian Air Force along the Gulf of Guinea, going beyond the shores of Nigeria to the Gambia, Sierra Leone, as well as to some Southern African Countries such as Mozambique and Zimbabwe by providing military aid in support of civil authorities and other humanitarian services.

There are high expectations by Nigerians from the incoming administration to sustain the fight against insurgency and boost the confidence of the International Community and investors in the country.

There is need for increase capacity development of personnel across board by all the security agencies that are involved in the fight against insecurity and introduction of modern technology.

The quick dispensation of justice as regards those arrested for terrorism should be adhered to strictly.

A new method of dispensing the ceased crude and other auxiliary materials in the Niger Delta by security agencies should be employed instead of burning or spilling same into the ecosystem.

Nigeria should not shy away from seeking international assistance where necessary in the area of security to finally defeat all acts of terrorism and banditry.

When some of these issues are confidently and proactively addressed: Nigeria will be on its way to total eradication of terrorism, banditry and other security challenges in the country.

PIAK