The new wave of terrorist attacks across Nigeria has reignited allegations of complicity within military ranks. These suspicions intensified following the mass abduction of 25 schoolgirls from the Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Although the girls have since been freed, the abrupt withdrawal of soldiers from the school less than 45 minutes before the raid raised a red flag.
Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris labelled the November 17 incident a clear sabotage, noting that troops had been stationed there based on credible intelligence of an imminent terrorist strike. The order for their withdrawal remains unclear.
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, insisted the military high command issued no such directive, adding that the implicated soldiers are now in custody and could face court-martial if found complicit.
It is good that the Kebbi State Government, the Nigerian Army and the Senate are all probing the incident.
In addition, the Senate is investigating the circumstances surrounding the recent killing of Musa Uba (a brigadier-general) in Borno State by ISWAP terrorists. The report on these probes must not be swept under the carpet, as many others have been.
Whispers of fifth columnists permeating the military persist. Former President Goodluck Jonathan once lamented that Boko Haram had infiltrated his government.
In 2010, former governor Jonah Jang said the military failed to act despite credible intelligence that an attack was imminent in Berom and some other communities in Plateau State.
Even when he tried to call the commanders after the attack was finally launched, he could not reach any of them.
History echoes these lapses. In February 2018, the military deployed soldiers to Dapchi, Yobe State, following intelligence reports that Boko Haram terrorists planned to attack the Government Science Secondary School in Dapchi.
The soldiers later withdrew, allegedly ignoring repeated warnings about the movement of Boko Haram members. Soon after their withdrawal, the terrorists invaded the school and abducted 110 girls.
This was also the case in the abduction of the 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State, in 2014. The military was reportedly alerted, but it allegedly failed to act.
Since 2014, at least 2,400 students have been abducted from schools in Nigeria. This tally is scandalous.
The kidnapping of over 300 pupils from St. Mary’s Catholic school, Papiri, in Niger State, is among the latest incidents. Most of the students are still in captivity. This must stop.
Sadly, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, noted recently that suspected Boko Haram members, armed robbers and other criminals were once discovered to be on the recruitment list of the Nigerian Army and the police.
He warned that the infiltration of security institutions by criminals posed a major threat to national security.
More troubling is the allegation that Matawalle has sympathy for terrorists. Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, among others, alleged that the minister kept bandits in the government house and procured vehicles for their leaders, including the notorious kingpin, Bello Turji, while serving as governor.
These weighty allegations, though denied, should have resulted in Matawalle’s exit from the cabinet. Now, he is one of those supervising the military’s current rescue efforts.
The government has downplayed this matter for too long, undermining public trust and confidence in its capacity to act. President Bola Tinubu must take this matter seriously. Nigeria must not descend into Somalia or Sudan.
The military must purge itself of saboteurs. Buying sophisticated weapons alone will not root out insurgency in the country. It must fish out the enemies within and their sponsors and severely punish them under the military law.
The Service Chiefs must be alive to their responsibilities. They must demonstrate that it is not business as usual.
They must take the battle to the forests, leaning more on intelligence. This is a full-blown war, which must transcend conventional tactics. The country should embrace foreign help at this point.
