Oluyede’s Uncharitable Comments to Yobe, Borno Communities

If the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, intended his comments last week urging residents of Borno and Yobe states to take ownership of the fight against terrorism as a strategy to end insurgency, then he missed the mark.

Oluyede, who spoke after a high-level security meeting in Maiduguri, argued that ending the Boko Haram crisis requires all hands to be on deck, with communities playing a more active role. He further noted that insurgency in the North-east is being sustained, in part, by individuals sometimes embedded within affected communities.

According to him, intelligence reports indicate that many of those responsible for attacks over the past 15 years originate from the same communities bearing the brunt of the violence.

His comments however did not augur well with many as they deem them unfair and disconnected from the realities on the ground.

How can communities be expected to take ownership of a war they are neither equipped nor trained to fight? Is that not fundamentally the responsibility of the military?

Too often, Nigeria’s security agencies resort to explanations that appear to shift responsibility rather than address operational shortcomings. There have been reports of terrorists issuing warnings to communities ahead of attacks. In some cases, such intelligence is reportedly shared with the military, yet responses are delayed or inadequate. In other instances, informants within communities are exposed, leading to reprisals that devastate already vulnerable populations.

It is also troubling to hear the CDS describe the use of drones and advanced technology by insurgents as an “evolving” threat, while suggesting that the military is only beginning to scale up its own capabilities. Should the armed forces not be ahead of non-state actors in both strategy and technology?

It is unfortunate that for over a decade into the conflict, the military has not made significant progress. If they don’t blame lack of motivation for their lapses, it is the lack of equipment or the typography of the areas where the terrorists operate from.

It is high time the military moved beyond explanations and delivered measurable results. Protecting lives and securing communities is not optional; it is its core mandate.