Operation Eastern Sanity: Ill-timed, Ill-advised

EXPRESSO By STEVE OSUJI

The very name, ‘Eastern Sanity’ is derogatory. The military seems to insist that the Southeast of Nigeria is devoid of enough normalcy for sound human existence. Therefore, only a military operation can imbue sanity tmon the zone. This seems to be the thought process behind OPERATION EASTERN SANITY, OES, currently going on in Southeastern end of Nigeria.

This column avers that this mindset of the Nigerian army, especially the military commanders, is flawed, provocative, perverse, and liable to yield no positive result.

Yours truly is writing this from the zone. He has been there since mid-December. He has travelled around the zone a bit. He makes bold to say that the oriental side of Nigeria is probably the safest and most quiet part of Nigeria currently.

The massive return for the Christmas and New year festivities by Ndigbo went almost perfectly. There was nary an incident.

Right now, (mid-February), life seems to have normalised in the SE. Not even the sit-at-home conundrum is effective anymore.

Though the NA didn’t categorically communicate the rationale for it’s ongoing operation, it is Understood that the OES may be a mop-up action against IPOB and its ESN arm, but since Nnamdi Kanu, the arrowhead of the Igbo separatist agitation was incarcerated late last year, all has quietened.

Put away in faraway Sokoto, the public optics remains a conquest of the Igbo nation, and they seems to be living out their ignominious fate with equanimity. This column cannot remember any major IPOB-related incidents or violence since Kanu was put away with that choreographed court conviction.

WHY IS THE SOUTHEAST BEING GARRISONED?

Question now is why would the Nigerian Army move troops to the southeast as if it were another country? Why would the southeast not be allowed to breathe for a while? Southeast is already on lockdown with probably the most military checkpoints; every state has military commands and barracks… Why do we need to further garrison an area that’s landlocked and the smallest zone in Nigeria? Fulani terrorists have made a sport or killing hapless Nigerians in Kwara, Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Niger States nigh every day. In all occasions, the murderers walk away after every massacre. No arrest, no reprisals. These states surely need more soldiers than the southeast.

SOUTHEAST NEEDS OPERATION SAFE CORRIDOR OR OLIVE BRANCH:

We have seen thousands of Fulani terrorists being de-radicalised and reintegrated into the society in the  SAFE CORRIDOR programme of the military. This soft approach can also be introduced in the SE.

It needs be noted that hunting down and mopping up of Igbo youths who are supposedly IPOB members would not end the Biafra agitation. On the contrary, it would gain more sympathy, win more followers and drive the struggle underground. Boots and guns never extinguishes serious agitations for separation. Soft power is more effective. Let’s have OPERATION OLIVE BRANCH in the southeast instead.

Speaking of non-kinetic approach, it is common knowledge that the SE has been meted with humiliating marginalisation, unfair and unjust policies in the last decade of the APC government starting with the late President Muhammadu Buhari.

A change in what seems like a scorch-earth policy again Ndigbo will work like margin if the federal government truly seeks peace in the east.

For instance, the Aba-Owerri road has been abandoned for nearly 15 years. Rail lines, sea ports, international passenger and cargo airports and requisite federal appointments will douse the insipient agitation in the SE; not all the arsenal of the NA.

Of course ‘operations’ are carried out with big budgets and it’s one way to keep the ‘boy’ happy.

Former COAS … Buratai was a master of the ‘game’. He embarked all sorts of his so-called operation in the SE, including Python Dance and Egwueke. But in the end, Buhari ended up escalating the conflict and amassing body bags. The Amnesty International has records outrageous extra judicial killings and missing persons at that period.

Let’s recall that IPOB was largely a nonviolent movement before President Buhari tried to end the agitations with arms and anger. That was when the ESN was formed more in self defense than in open defiance of the Nigerian state. This was thereabouts 2017.

LET THE POLICE DO IT’S JOB:

Perhaps as a proof that OES is ill-considered, the troop picked up an IED in a church under controversial circumstances. In the second week, the NA 144 Battalion under OES arrested three suspects criminals and recovered a stolen Mack in Abia State.

This is the army usurping the work of the police in the guise of some nebulous military operation.

In summary, what is needed in the SE today is improve policing and intelligence gathering and processing. There’s already too much military presence in the SE. And in case the military hierarchy feigns ignorance, let it be known that most of the men posted in the littering of checkpoints are doing everything but security work. Armed soldiers in uniform are openly taking bribes and extorting commuters. It is a show of shame and a complete professional debasement. This column hopes someday, a reform-minded Army Chief would come around and stop this festering rot in the once highly regarded army.

LAST LINE:

LET EL-RUFAI BE!  

The political era is in full bloom in Nigeria today. And the ruling APC government has helped in no small way to muddy the democratic waters so to speak. And since you cannot eat your cake and have, the APC must tread softly so that it doesn’t bring down the roof over the heads of all of us.

We all watch as the democratic spaces are being closed. We see all serving governors and elected legislators being ‘taken’ over like pliable brides. We haven’t seen a scenario like this before in Nigeria’s political history.

Now enfant terrible, Nasir el Rufai is a bad guy as if he was born yesterday.

Whatever Nasir is to, he was yesterday as APC lynchpin. To pull him in today because he’s no longer in the APC is POLITICAL PERSECUTION! How many more members of the opposition would be pulled in, or shall we say, pulled down!