Military Begins Assessment of Internal Operations for Troops’ Withdrawal

Military Begins Assessment of Internal Operations for Troops’ Withdrawal

Vows not to allow Boko Haram foothold in Nigeria

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Military High Command has begun a review and assessment of troops deployed for internal security operations ahead of their withdrawal from volatile areas nationwide and in line with the decision of the federal government on the phased withdrawal.
THISDAY gathered that the committees saddled with the responsibility of conducting the assessment had been set up by the military, the outcome of which would determine the nature and extent of troops to be withdrawn.
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has also declared that no inch of Nigeria’s territory would be ceded again to terrorists in the ongoing war against insurgency.

It has also called on the international community to look at issues of money laundering and drug peddling associated with terror-financing in order to expose the sponsors of Boko Haram and the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP).
Giving the recent pockets of terrorist attacks in the North-east, the deployment will also see the aircraft carry fresh troops to the theatre of operations to complement the efforts of the troops on ground.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, had recently announced plans by government to withdraw troops from volatile areas and hand over security to the police as the lead agency in internal security operations.

He said the decision followed an initial assessment that showed an overall improvement in the country’s security situation.
Responding to pleas from some governors to suspend the troops withdrawal plan in view of increasing attacks by insurgents, the presidency had reassured them that the withdrawal would not expose states affected by security challenges to danger as it was designed to allow the military focus on its primary duty of defending the nation.

The Director, Defence Information (DDI), Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, told THISDAY that the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) had set up committees to conduct an assessment and evaluation of the internal security operations, which would determine the nature of withdrawal.

“The decision to withdraw troops is not for now, in any way, affecting our operations in the various theatres considering the fact that there has to be an assessment and there has to be an evaluation. After the assessment and evaluation of those operations based on their mandates, then we could begin to review all the operations. As it stands today, the assessment has commenced; the evaluation has commenced,” Nwachukwu explained.

According to him, the findings of the various committees will inform how the withdrawal will be executed.
The defence spokesman stated that presently all internal security operations were ongoing, pending the outcome of the assessment and evaluation, noting that all operations are being intensified and reinvigorated.

“As it stands now, no operation has been shut down; troops have not been withdrawn from any operation as we speak. Rather, troops are intensifying and reinvigorating their operations.

“That is what is going on now. There are assessments going on; evaluations are going on. So, whatever the outcome of those evaluations and findings are, it is on that basis that whatever is going to be done will be appraised,” he said.
The military had launched Operation Hadarin Daji in Zamfara to tackle banditry, Operation Whirl Stroke to contain herdsmen/farmers clashes in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States and Operation Safe Haven to tackle communal and ethno-religious crisis in Plateau State as well as Operations Delta Safe in the South-south.

“The operations as it stands are ongoing. The Operation Lafiya Dole is still there on counterinsurgency and terrorism. In the North-west, we have Operation Hadarin Daji addressing issues of banditry. In Benue State, we have Operation Whirl Stroke addressing the issues of banditry and herders-farmers clashes and communal clashes”, Nwachukwu explained.

In reassuring Nigerians that government would not allow volatile states unprotected, President Muhammadu Buhari had said: “You don’t need to worry. We will not expose our people and their communities to harm or danger.”

A statement by his spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, quoted the president as saying that “the withdrawal is to allow the military focus on its primary duty of defending the nation against external aggression. It is the duty of the police to handle internal security since Nigeria is not at war.”

No Inch of Nigeria Would Be Ceded to Terrorists, Says DHQ

Meanwhile, the DHQ has vowed to ensure that no inch of Nigeria’s territory is ceded to terrorists.
Nwachukwu said the military would not give any space to the terrorists as it would defend Nigeria’s territory and sovereignty to the last man.

According to him, the military had made progress since the outbreak of hostilities in 2009 by halting the inordinate ambition of the terrorists to declare a caliphate in North-eastern Nigeria, forcing it into factionalisation and degrading it to the status of remnants that seek soft targets.

He said: “We have made progress in the fight against terrorism since 2009. We know what the situation was like before today. We know the state of Boko Haram before they were joined by ISWAP.

“Boko Haram was completely decimated and that was what led to the factionalisation of Boko Haram because it could not attain their mission and objective of declaring a caliphate in North-eastern Nigeria.

“That was why Boko Haram split into two. We have the Shekau faction and the al-Barnawi faction. Again, the al-Barnawi faction split in two – Mamman Nuhu and Al-Barnawi again because they failed in delivering. They could not deliver. And the only reason why they could not deliver was because they were dealt with by the federal troop.

“Mamman Nuhu was assassinated. It became a power tussle because they could not deliver and it came to a state where they had to pledge allegiance to Islamic State, which has now been defeated in Syria by the allied forces and their ultimate leader, Abubakar al-Baghdadi, annihilated.

“So what the Islamic State for West Africa is doing today is to save the face of global terrorism, having been defeated but we assure them that Nigeria is not a place for global terrorism to flourish.”

On terror-financing, he said it was a phenomenon that required global attention.
He added: “Terrorism has become a global phenomenon that must be give global attention. They are defeated in Syria and they have drifted by migrating to the West Africa sub-region.

“They want to save the face of global terrorism, having been defeated. The question is, how are these people acquiring their weapons and weapon systems? It requires huge funds, how are they acquiring their logistics? Who is funding them, how are they funded?”

Nwachukwu said the issues of money laundering and drug peddling were inter-linked and are sources of funding for terrorism.
He called on the international community to address the problem of money laundering, drug peddling through which terrorism is financed.

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