RENEWED ATTACKS BY INSURGENTS

 The military should invest more on their intelligence gathering capability

Following last November’s attacks by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) which led to the killing of the commander of 25 Brigade in Damboa, Brigadier General Musa Uba, we raised some pertinent concerns. While we acknowledged a noticeable upscale in operational activities of the military that has led to the killings of many insurgents and the destruction of their camps, we drew the attention of military authorities to the growing threats posed by these terror affiliates. As things stand today, the insurgents seem to be becoming increasingly more audacious. Authorities in the country must respond to these renewed threats.

 In the last two weeks, Boko Haram and ISWAP members have attacked communities and military locations in Ngoshe, Kukawa, Marte, Gwoza, and Konduga, all in Borno State. In these attacks, the military has lost some high-ranking personnel, including three commanding officers, several arms and ammunition as well as operational vehicles. Indications from some of the attacks point to the issue of sabotage. There are unconfirmed reports that some people within the communities deliberately pass information on troops’ movement to the insurgents. Such an act is not only unpatriotic, but it also amounts to undermining national security and putting innocent people in harm’s way.

 For a military whose personnel make huge sacrifices in offering protection to these communities, the least the people could offer in return is to provide information to the troops. The federal government, working with the authorities in the affected states, must act quickly on this and warn that those involved in such acts would be treated as traitors who must be made to face the full wrath of the law.  

 We join the military and the nation in mourning the loss of these gallant officers. But the sinusoidal nature and pace of operational activities to defeat insurgency in that part of the country suggests an urgent need to re-strategise. It’s time the reactionary mode of operation gave away to proactive one, and more importantly, done in a massive manner in an area or geographical zone instead of the present piecemeal approach that is becoming increasingly ineffectual.

 Human intelligence remains a fundamental and reliable source of information that provides context, nuance and local insight which would help to identify in time the intention of the insurgents, their movements and networks. But the military must also invest more on their intelligence gathering capability to aid situation awareness. With the right intelligence, the military would be able to strike deep into insurgents known abode and prevent them from attacks on their locations as it happened recently. 

  With recent losses, questions are being asked about whether the Nigerian armed forces have the right capabilities to drive their strategies for force protection. In the war between the United States/Israel and Iran, for instance, the world is seeing the use of military technologies that keep their personnel away from direct contact with the adversary. We therefore call on the federal government to support the military in the acquisition of modern and advanced weapon systems that could be deployed to destroy the insurgents far in their locations, making it easy for ground troops to exploit and mop up while ensuring force protection. 

 But there is also the fierce urgency of the moment. The loyalty of the populace at the grassroots is now in contention. Many of them see the contest as one between the insurgents and the government. With that, they are challenged to choose between instant benefits offered by the insurgents and the lasting benefits of patriotism offered by the government. With that also, human intelligence to combat the insurgency becomes a matter of beneficial choice. Government in the susceptible areas need to do more to power the patriotic spirit of the people so that they can identify with and provide human intelligence to security forces to enhance operations.

We also need to invest more in the welfare of those whose intelligence and cooperation our military will need to defeat insurgency. We cannot separate good governance from national security.