By Linus Aleke
The real reason why Zamfara State Governor, Mr. Dauda Lawal, and his colleagues from Kaduna, and Plateau States, are seeking military assistance is not farfetched, as the emerging security threats in their respective states seem to be growing in leaps and bounds. Alas, these internecine threats in most of these affected states are multifaceted. On one hand it is farmers vs herders, while on the other hand, it is communal unrest occasioned by land grabbing thirsty locals or outright terrorism and criminalities, under a new nomenclature, ‘Banditry’.
But that is not to say that the military and other security agencies have gone to sleep, and things are falling apart. It will be uncharitable to say that the Armed Forces of Nigeria, particularly the Nigerian Army is not doing well in her quest to restore peace and stability in all the troubled spots across the federation, particularly in the Northwest, where bandits are daily reading riot act to armless and innocent citizens.
The compelling reasons why the Governors, like serpents, smoked out of their holes and comfort zones, are rushing down to Army Headquarters in their numbers to seek military assistance, to enable them surmount the security threats plaguing their States.
Meanwhile, hundreds of soldiers and officers, if not thousands, have paid the supreme price, while engaging these mindless non state actors, in a bid to restore peace and stability for citizens to go about their legitimate businesses unencumbered. Several other hundreds, if not thousands are also, grabbling with excruciating pains, in various medical facilities, at home and abroad from injuries sustained in frontline. Few others had become physically and mentally challenged as a result of self and collective sacrifices to keep the country safe for others to enjoy.
What of the hunger, and thirst, they have to suffer in the process of carrying out their statutory duties, or the sacrifices of working under the sun and in the rain to protect the rest of us? These sacrifices and others too numerous to mention in a single piece like this are ebullient testimonies of their effort in securing the country.
Therefore, to say that the military had not done well is to profess wickedness as a self creed, but as it is in every human endeavour, including military career, there are always room for improvement.
It is however, on the premise of this room for improvement, that the Governors from Northwestern states of Kaduna and Zamfara, as well as their counterpart in North Central State of Plateau, last week visited the Army Headquarters to appeal to the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army to redouble its effort in tackling the myriad of security threats confronting their individual states, and by extension their zones.
In a remark during his official visit to Army Headquarters, the governor of Zamfara State, Mr. Dauda Lawal,
congratulated the Chief of Army Staff COAS Major General Taoreed Lagbaja for his well deserved appointment.
Noting that his appointment is a square peg in a square hole, the Governor reminded the COAS, of the saying that “to whom much is given, much is expected”.
He said that as the number one citizen of Zamfara State, and bearing in mind the purpose of government, which is to secure life and property, he cannot go to bed with his two eyes closed while those under his care are either killed or kidnapped by bandits and other criminal elements on a daily basis.
Governor Lawal, explained his mission to the Army Headquarters, in the following words: “you are all aware that Zamfara State as at today, is faced with serious security challenges. In fact, I will say without mincing words, that Zamfara is the most challenged state in Nigeria, in the area of insecurity. As the number one citizen of the state, part of my responsibility is to protect lives and properties and I cannot do this alone. I therefore, seek the support of the Chief of Army Staff and his entire team in bringing peace to 1st Zamfara, as well as Nigeria in general”.
To achieve the desired peace that will put the state on the trajectory of political stability, prosperity, economic growth, and sustainable development, the Governor appealed to the high command of the Nigerian Army to deploy additional troops to complement the effort of those on ground.
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According to him, “Let me use this opportunity to thank the Chief of Army Staff, for the fact that the troops in Zamfara are doing very well to secure the States. However, we will need serious intervention in terms of the level of manpower that is in Zamfara. We need to have more people, especially the military to be deployed to Zamfara state and complement the effort the present security officers combating crime in Zamfara state”.
Painting the horrifying picture of the debilitating and intractable security situation in the state, Governor Lawal said, it is sad to mention that there was never a day that passes by without people being killed in one area or local government or the other.
He noted that this is very, very worrisome for leaders in the state because without security, basically there will be no development, without security, people will not be able to go to farm and produce what they consume and beyond.
He added that without security their children will not be able to go to school, which is a very serious setback for the people of Zamfara and the environment.
He continued, “Let me also emphasize here that Zamfara has become a home for criminality. Sir, if we’re able to take charge of Zamfara state, I can assure you that the entire northern state will be at peace. Criminals find themselves so comfortable in Zamfara and therefore they operate within the neighboring states, which includes, Katsina, Niger, Kaduna, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara. If we are able to take the battle to their domain, I believe it will go a long way in eliminating these people, yes, there are other elements or security challenges in terms of the use of the civilian JTF which in one way or the other is also affecting the performance of some of the security forces and therefore, I’m appealing to you being the expert in security, what we need to do and how do we bring these people on board if necessary, so as to help the ground troops, being that these people are locals, they understand the terrain much more than the forces. If there’s a way we can incorporate these people, I will count on your expertise and to have their bodies up and what kind of synergy we need to have with these people if necessary. As I said, so you are the experts and we believe in your judgment and we believe you are in a position to bring an end to this menace that is making life difficult for the people of Zamfara State and Nigeria at large and as I said, and I repeat, if we are able to take care of Zamfara, believe me 80 percent of this banditry will be solved.
“Therefore, sir, I’m here, and I’m appealing to you to use whatever is necessary, whatever it takes, to come to our aid and bring an end to this menace that is affecting every aspect of human endeavor in the state. That is the essence of my trip to this office to officially complain to you and tell you the difficulties Zamfara is facing, which has become a daily routine. There is never a day that passes by without, either somebody being kidnapped or people being killed in Zamfara state. Sir, we are appealing to you, we need you and we believe that you can do this”.
On what can be done to achieve the lofty objective of the state, the Governor, appealed to the COAS to consider not just additional manpower but also the instrument used in combating this crime.
He noted that there is the need to have adequate logistics, in terms of the kind of vehicles that the military will use in a system, as well as combating this crime that is facing the state.
“There is some of this vehicle the military uses, called the CSK. Currently we have just about eight of those vehicles, out of which only three are serviceable and therefore there’s a need to have additional vehicles that will assist the troops in fighting this crime,” he said.
While pledging to provide logistics assistance to the military in the state the Governor said, his government is ever ready to assist the troops in whatever capacity towards helping to combat this criminality that is making life extremely difficult for my people in Zamfara State.
He also proffered the foregoing remedies, saying, “I will also appeal to you to use your expertise in terms of how we can bring about synergy or encourage synergy from within the armed forces of this country, or rather the security operators. While the military are doing their best on the ground, there’s also the need to bring on both the Air Force in terms of using their aircrafts to assist the ground troops whenever they go into operation. There’s also the need for you sir, to still find the way where there will be proper synergy between the police, as well as the Department of Security Services in terms of getting information of who and who is involved and also finding the sources where these criminals are getting their weapons as well as informants, because without this kind of synergy between the entire security operatives, it will be difficult to achieve the desired result, we are hoping for and we are looking for, so as to bring peace in Zamfara”.
Earlier, the Governor of Kaduna State, Sen.Uba Sani, was also at Army Headquarters on similar mission, where he congratulated the COAS, and appeal to the Nigerian Army to redouble effort in denying bandits in the state freedom of action.
The Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, who took turn after the Zamfara State Governor told the Army Chief that the crisis in Plateau State can only be addressed with the assistant and support of the Nigerian Army.
Responding to the Governors, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, assured the visiting Governor that the Nigerian Army would do everything within its limit of powers to restore peace in the troubled States.
“I want to reassure you that you have come to the right place to seek solution to security challenges in your various domains,” Gen. Lagbaja said.
He noted that the Nigerian army is the people’s army, and their being at the Army Headquarters, is a eight step in a eight direction.
Speaking specifically to the Governor of Zamfara State, the COAS said the Service is glad to have the Chief Executive of a State give NA feedback on the performance of its troops and other activities that the Army conduct in the field, especially in Zamfara State.
According to him, “I want to thank you most especially for your support and the support of the good people of Zamfara State to our warriors deployed in the field. The Armed Forces of Nigeria has risen to the security challenges experienced in Zamfara state by instituting some taxforce and other operational measures to combat the threats. Currently we have the operation Hadarin Daji, up and running. Looking at Zamfara state, I know that it is a mix of so many things, we have, the farmer/herders crisis, we have the ethnic confrontation that result in violence, and also we have the quest for economic empowerment that is driving people to the mining site. So, having identified these various classes of insecurities in Zamfara state, we know that some things are driving the insecurity”.
The Army Chief identified the conflict enabler as access to illicit small arms and light weapons, by the bandits and other criminals in the state.
The terrain in Zamfara, he said, is somewhat difficult to traverse especially, along the border with the Kaduna States, adding “we have taken all these into account and during our formal and informal discussion we will worked together to find a lasting solution to the insecurity being experienced in Zamfara state”.
He recalled that just yesterday, he tasked the Chief of military intelligence to tinker on ways to address the issue of “yan sa kai,’ and other vigilante groups that operate in Zamfara State.
He noted that the Nigerian Army, will not allow a situation where some people will constitute themselves into outlaw and just go into communities and kill children and defenseless women.
General Lagbaja said: “If working with the state government and other critical stakeholders, we can eliminate this outlaw, then we would have reduce the insecurity in Zamfara state by a significant percentage. So I want to appeal to you your Excellency that as we come up with this strategy to address the issue of ‘yan sa kai,” and other vigilante groups, the state government should dispose to the implementation of the measures that we will recommend so that together we will address the activities of these criminal elements. We also have the issue of the amnesty program that has been instituted, and it have failed, not only in Zamfara but in so many other states of the Northwest. So I think, we need to look at this issue of the amnesty program.
The criminal elements have proven to be incorrigible and so the issue of amnesty has created avenue for them to regroup and reorganize to launch attack on our defenseless citizens, so we need to look at that. The Chief of Operation is also thinking of how to address the situation in Zamfara and I know that whatever happens in Zamfara has a telling effect on the situation in contiguous states, especially Kaduna, Niger, Kebbi, and Katsina states. If these criminal elements do not migrate out of Zamfara, then Kaduna will know peace, and Niger will be at peace, as well.
“So the Chief of operation is working to synchronize the operations between one division and eight division that we have in Zamfara so that when they are pushed from the South these criminal elements, will not have the freedom to migrate north, and when they push them from the north, they will not have the freedom to migrate south, they can be quickly encircled and completely destroyed”.
The COAS told the Governor that he had listen to his plea that the Service should provide more combat enablers for its formations and units in Zamfara State.
He also disclosed that he had worked on a measure to give the brigade commander, the eight division, commander, 1 brigade commander, 17 brigade etc, some measure of independence to intervene in the maintenance of the platforms that were deployed to them.
“We will continue along that trajectory and we will look for more combat enablers to push so that our troops will become more effective in the field and together to bring peace and stability to those in Zamfara state. I am happy that a state executive is talking about the effectiveness of the CSK in the field, that means, as military men, we should be looking in the direction of procuring more and when we get more, we will push them into Zamfara, but what we have currently we will get them into Zamfara. They are as effective as the CSK that you mentioned and even our unserviceable platforms in Zamfara, we have released them to effect the repairs of this unserviceable platforms,” he said.
Corroborating the assertion made made by the governor that Zamfara is the most challenged State in terms of insecurity in the entire country, the COAS said, “We know that Zamfara has become the hotbed of insecurity in Nigeria, the epicenter has shifted from Bornu to Zamfara, we recognize that and we will work, bearing that in mind to combat the challenges that faces Zamfara and other contiguous states”.
Having explained why they cannot sit on the bank of the river and wash their faces with spittle, it is instructive to conclude that in the interest of peace and tranquility, political stability and economic growth, non of the critical stakeholders involved in this should, in a long run, metamorphose into a horse that was forced to a stream, that cannot be forced to drink water.
