By John Owen Nwachukwu Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, Monday, asked the Federal Government led by President Mu...
By John Owen Nwachukwu
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, Monday,
asked the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari to engage
mercenaries to complement the military’s fight against terrorists’ onslaught.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a
statement, described as worrisome and unprecedented the rate at which
terrorists of the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province kill
soldiers in the last two years.
The group said the killing of over 750 soldiers in the last
two years by insurgents is alarming and signals that fatigue has invaded the
military which has been responsible for the high rate of casualties suffered by
the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force, and the Nigerian Navy in recent
times.
A report in August 2022 said terrorists on the rampage
across the country have attacked about 16 military bases in the last 18 months
and killed about 750 soldiers in different parts of the country.
In 2022, there were six major attacks on military bases,
witnessed in Borno, Katsina, Kaduna, Taraba, and Niger states. These were
independent of other attacks on the military, including ambushes, and attacks
on their convoys, and the most recent attack on soldiers was at the Zuma Rock
checkpoint on July 28. A soldier was killed in the attack.
Terrorists attacked a military base in Sarkin Pawa Town in
the Munya Local Government Area of Niger State on July 18, 2022. On May 10,
suspected ISWAP members attacked the perimeter of the 6th Brigade military base
in Jalingo, Taraba State.
Also, on April 4, suspected Ansaru terrorists attacked a
military base at Polewire on the Kaduna-Birnin Road in Birnin Gwari Local
Government Area of Kaduna State, during which about 11 soldiers were feared
killed, while 19 soldiers were reportedly injured by the terrorists.
ISWAP fighters attacked the multinational military base in
Doron Baga, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State on March 19.
Also, reports on January 21 noted that terrorists stormed
the military base located within Government Day Secondary School, Shinfada, in
the Jibia Local Government of Katsina State.
In 2021, reports said there were attacks on at least 11
military bases in the North. Some of the attacks were foiled by soldiers.
The President on Friday, in Abuja at the graduation of
Course 30 of the National Defence College, where he was represented by the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said, “Government
is deeply concerned about the activities of bandits and criminals who have
reared their ugly heads in some parts of the country. This is because the
number of violent unprovoked attacks on citizens appears to be on the increase.
This is unacceptable.”
HURIWA’s Onwubiko said beyond condemning terrorists’
onslaught against the military, the President must be decisive and take quick
solutions.
Onwubiko said, “The President as the Commander-In-Chief of
the Armed Forces must strategise the anti-terrorism war because apparently, the
troops are losing with hundreds having had to pay the supreme price in the last
two years.
“A compilation by SUNDAY PUNCH of August 7, 2022, is
alarming. The report put the figure of soldiers fell by terrorists at 750
soldiers between the third quarter of 2020 and July 2022. This is unacceptable.
“The President must with immediate effect reshuffle the
security architecture and sack the service chiefs whose lack of effective
leadership have cost over 750 families their beloved brothers, sisters, and
breadwinners.
“The President must ensure that the morale of the soldiers
still alive are boosted through the timely payment of salaries, acquisition of
modern-day superior weapons as soldiers in leaked videos have decried the
absence of superior firepower to their adversaries, payment of entitlement to
families of fallen heroes, amongst others.
“Also, the engagement of foreign mercenaries cannot be
overstressed. As buttressed by the Chairman of the House of Representatives
Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, the Armed Forces are overstretched as
they are now engaged in internal security operations which should have been led
by the Nigeria Police Force. The deployment of foreign mercenaries is exigent
to avoid the further loss of military personnel. Any resistance to this is
suicidal.
“Similarly, the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad
Dingyadi, had on December 15, 2021, said that the Federal Government approved a
20 percent increase in salaries for personnel of the Nigeria Police Force,
effective January 2022 but police officers have been crying out that the raise
had yet to take effect even eight months after. The President must ensure
policemen get the necessary morale booster to fight internal security for
soldiers to face Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters.
“Also, the Federal Government must with immediate effect
give licence to regional security outfits in the South-East, the South-West and
Benue State for these vigilante men to bear arms to consolidate the operations
of the military and the police as the Army and the police are overstretched
with many attached to Very Important Personalities and politicians instead of
security the country against internal and external threats.”
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