Lessons from Israel’s Military Chief’s Resignation

The news from the Israeli military last Monday that the chief of its intelligence directorate had resigned after taking responsibility for failures leading to the unprecedented October 7 attack by Hamas is a lesson the Nigerian intelligence community and security agencies must learn from.

Major General Aharon Haliva is the first high-ranking official to step down for failing to prevent the attack that shocked Israel and the international community.  In his resignation letter, Haliva, who served in the force for 38 years, took responsibility for failing to prevent the attack.

“On Saturday, October 7th 2023, Hamas carried out a deadly surprise attack against the state of Israel. The intelligence division under my command did not live up to the task we were entrusted with. I carry that black day with me ever since. Day after day, night after night. I will forever carry with me the terrible pain of the war,” he wrote.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures. Since then, Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas and is engaged in a blistering assault against the militant group which rules the Gaza Strip.

The Palestinian territory’s health ministry said 34,097 people have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, most of them women and children.

In sharp contrast, in Nigeria where there are Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Department of State Services (DSS) and other intelligence units in the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, the police and the NSCDC, nothing of such has ever happened despite the massive killings and abductions for ransom taking place.

Data from Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, a security risk management and intelligence company based in Abuja, last week showed that at least 2,583 people were killed and 2,164 kidnapped in the first quarter of this year. 

Yet, no security or military chief has been sanctioned, fired or voluntarily resigned for negligence or dereliction of duty.

Many Nigerians believe that the state of insecurity in the country will persist until service chiefs, military commanders, police chiefs and heads of intelligence agencies are forced to resign or get fired for every major security breach.