Nigerian Military

By Uzair Adam

The Federal Government has started disbursing salary increases and three months of arrears to military personnel.

The announcement was made by the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, through a statement released in Abuja by Mr. Henshaw Ogubike, Director of Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Defence.

According to Matawalle, military personnel have already begun receiving alerts confirming the payments.

He noted that President Bola Tinubu authorized the release of funds on Thursday for the payment of pensions and other entitlements owed to retired military personnel.

The minister praised President Tinubu’s dedication to improving the welfare of both serving and retired military officers. He emphasized that addressing outstanding pension arrears remains a priority.

“This initiative underscores the President’s commitment to enhancing the living conditions of those who have served the nation,” Matawalle stated.

He also expressed appreciation for the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, for his vital role in ensuring the timely execution of the payments.

Matawalle urged the Nigerian military to remain resolute in their duties, reassuring them of the President’s support in boosting their morale and providing resources to address security challenges across the nation.

“Despite initial challenges, rest assured that Mr. President is fully committed to uplifting the military forces as they tackle insecurity,” he added.

The minister expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for his decisive actions and recognized the essential contributions of both serving and retired military personnel in safeguarding the nation and combating insurgency.

He reiterated the government’s resolve to strengthen the armed forces and ensure sustained efforts to eradicate insecurity in Nigeria.

By Kabir Fagge Ali

It is a known fact that security personnel are always ready to pay the supreme price whenever they are in line of action. Their patriotism and unrelenting effort in tackling insecurity partly make us sleep comfortably at night.

Worrisome, however, are reports that our gallant troops, who protect our territorial integrity and lives, are allowed to be slaughtered like guinea pigs during terrorists’ ambushed attacks.

Last Saturday was a black day as troops of the Nigerian Army, alongside two Police officers, were killed around the Danjibga axis in the Tsafe Local government area of Zamfara State in an ambush.

The attack on the troops by bandits is in retaliation to several attacks launched by troops on different bandit camps in the state, leading to the death of numerous terrorists and the destruction of their camps and ‘operational’ motorcycles, among others.

Zamfara has been battling insecurity for nearly a decade. The Nigerian military, however, must be commended for leading the war to end banditry in the troubled North Central state and general insecurity in the country.

But winning the war demands our collective support. Both the federal government, the military, other security agencies and citizens must join forces and come up with a portent strategy for tackling terrorists and other criminal elements, holding our dear nation to ransom.

That is why a multifaceted approach to fighting insecurity is imperative. Firstly, the military’s intelligence-gathering system must be enhanced. This will help quickly identify the movements and plans of terrorists and other armed groups.

Strengthening collaboration between various security agencies and investing in technology, such as surveillance and communication equipment, are also vital.

Again, we need to equip our troops with modern and sophisticated ammunition, and the government must allocate adequate resources to ensure that the military has the tools and knowledge needed to adapt to evolving security threats. This will also help its troops navigate the challenging terrains often exploited by insurgent groups during gunfire battles.

Community engagement remains a linchpin in the fight against insecurity. Local populations can be pivotal in providing credible intelligence, as they possess invaluable knowledge about their communities.

Establishing trust between the military and communities is paramount for building a united front against insurgency. Addressing the root causes of violent conflicts in the country is another thing that cannot be overemphasised.

Beneficial socio-economic policies and sound development initiatives focused on providing education, healthcare, and employment opportunities can help to dissuade our youths from being recruited into armed and terror groups.

By addressing the underlying issues, the government can reduce the appeal of insurgency, banditry, robbery and oil theft, among other crimes. And marginalised populations will not find cause to take to criminalities and heinous vices for survival.

Furthermore, international collaboration is crucial in tackling cross-border security threats. Zamfara’s proximity to neighbouring countries should necessitate coordinated efforts to prevent armed groups from exploiting regional vulnerabilities.

Similarly, collaborative intelligence sharing, joint patrols, and diplomatic initiatives can contribute to a more robust defence against insurgencies.

In summary, curbing the spate of ambush attacks on troops in Zamfara and other states afflicted by terrorism and banditry requires a holistic strategy, combining intelligence, technology, community engagement, and socioeconomic development.

Let’s hope that those saddled with piloting the affairs of our dear nation summon the political will to do what is needed this time. They have been docile for a long while now.

Kabir Fagge is an NYSC member with PRNigeria Centre Abuja.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Operation Hadarin Daji troops on Friday freed nine abducted victims in Zamfara State’s Bukuyyum Local Government Area.

It was learned that the military responded to a distress call on armed bandits in Mailere village in the Bukuyyum region while conducting normal patrols and protecting farmers in their farmlands.

According to a senior military source who asked to remain anonymous and spoke to journalists, the forces deployed quickly to the location of the event and made contact with the armed bandits at the community’s gate.

However, the troops’ superior firepower forced the armed bandits to retreat and leave the nine kidnapped people when they engaged them in combat.

The Daily Reality understands that the freed victims were afterwards reunited with their families.

Zamfara State has been on the list of Nigerian provinces terrorised by the activities of armed bandits who attack, abduct, and abduct travellers and residents of communities in the state.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The National Defence College (NDC) said Nigeria’s insecurity is not inevitable if only magic technologies like artificial intelligence are to be used in the nation.

The NDC commandant, Rear Adm. Murtala Bashir, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, adding that the military needs to be ahead of the violent non-state actors to address the security challenges ravaging the country.

Over a decade, insecurity has been one of the major issues facing Nigeria and has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people, leading to the displacement of several others in the country.

The activities of bandits have badly affected the economic growth of the nation as farmers and businessmen fear the atrocious attack by the bandits who either kidnap or slaughter any misfortune individual they encounter.

However, the NDC Commandant identified measures he believed could have been used to defeat terrorists and terrorism in the country.

He said, “Technologies like artificial intelligence and others are the much-needed game changers that will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the military’s responses to the challenges facing Nigeria.

“If we’re to also avoid the experiences of the past, where Nigeria has to beg foreigners to prosecute legitimate internal security challenges against militancy, terrorism and insurgency, then we need to reappraise our research and development efforts in technology acquisition and innovation.

“We need to also revamp our military industrial complex, and these efforts must be of national outlook and driven by research and development,” he said.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Four prominent members of Jam’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihd, popularly known as Boko Haram, have turned themselves into Nigerian forces in Borno State.

Commanders Mala’ana (Khalid), a Governor, Abu Dauda (Munzir), Modu Yalee (Commander), and Bin Diska (Nakif) submitted to Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) soldiers on December 12, 2022, when they were patrolling the state’s Gwoza local government area.

This fresh intelligence reveals that the insurgents have emerged from the Sambisa forest where they had been hiding and are now waging terror attacks against the state, according to Zagazola Makama, a Counter-Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region.

They once served as leaders at the Njimiya camp under Abubakar Shekau. 

Nevertheless, during the invasion of the Sambisa Forest in May 2021, they disarmed and joined ISWAP at Lake Chad, which finally led to Shekau’s demise.

The four Commanders later abandoned ISWAP and fled to Sambisa, where they established a camp and started acting independently.

They were forced to surrender out of fear of being wiped out on the battlefield by a combination of a protracted, increased bombardment on terrorist hideouts and rivalry strikes.

Meanwhile, 83,000 Boko Haram fighters had been captured and were being treated for rehabilitation in Borno State, according to Major General Christopher Musa, the OPHK Theatre Commander.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Nigerian Military has revealed the names and identities of terrorist commanders destabilizing the northern part of the country.

On Monday, the Defense Headquarters released the names of 19 men allegedly culpable for terrorism in the North. 

According to the Director of Defense Information, Maj-Gen. Jimmy Akpor, the names were released so that members of the public with genuine information about the insurgents would contact the military. 

The military also promised a cash reward of five million naira to persons with genuine information. They urged the public to contact 09135904467 to share the information.

The names released by the Defense Headquarters include the names of the following persons : 

SANI DANGOTE – ORIGIN: Dumbarum Village. Zurmi LGA of Zamfara States.

BELLO TURJI GUDDA – ORIGIN: FAKAI Village of Zamfara State.

LEKO – ORIGIN: MOZOJ VIllage, Mutazu LSA of Katsina State

DOGO NAHALI – ORIGIN: YAR TSAMIYAR JNO Village. Kankara LGA of Katsina State

HALILU SUBUBU – ORIGIN: SUBUBU Village in MARADUN LGA of Zamfara State.

NAGONA – ORIGIN: ANGWAN GALADIMA in ISA LOA of SOKOTO State.

NASANDA – ORIGIN: Kwashabawa, Village in Zurmi LGA of Zamara State.

ISIYA KWASHEN GARWA – ORIGIN: KAMFANIN Daudawa Village of Faskari, Katsina State.

ALI KACHALLA aka ALI KAWAJE – ORIGIN: KUYAMBARA VILLAGE in Danaadau MARU LGA of Zamfara State

ABU RADDE – ORIGIN: VARANDA Village in Batsari LGA Katsina State.

DAN-DA – ORIGIN: VARANDA Village in Batsari LGA of Katsina State

SANI GURGU – ORIGIN: VARANDA Village in Batsari LGA of Katsina State

UMARU DAN NIGERIA – ORIGIN: RAFI VIllage. MADA District in GUSAULGA of

NAGALA – ORIGIN: MARU LGA of Zamfara State

ALHAJI ADO ALIERO – ORIGIN: YANKUZO Village Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State

MONORE – ORIGIN: YANTUMAKI Village, Dan LGA of Katona Stata

GWASKA DANKARAMI – ORIGIN: SHAMUSHELE Village in Zuri LGA of Zamfara State

BALERI – ORIGIN: SHINKAFI LGA of Zamfera State

MAMUDU TAINANGE – ORIGIN VARANDA Village in Batsari LGA of Katsina State

By Mukhtar Ya’u Madobi

Another national embarrassment almost happened over the weekend. But alas, it wasn’t fated. Reports indicated that a group of bandit-terrorists, about 200 swarmed the Kaduna International Airport located in Igabi Local Government Area of the State.

The incident temporarily led to the disruption of activities, including the grounding of an Azman Air Lagos-bound aircraft. In addition, a security officer attached to the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) also lost his life.

It was learnt that the terrorists were on a revenge mission after some Nigerian military troops neutralized scores of them and equally retrieved some rustled cattle in their possession.

However, this unfortunate development is coming after another security breach had occurred last year, when the same category of criminal elements–bandits–invaded the country’s highest defence and security training hub, the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, in Kaduna.

Aside from killing some soldiers, reports claimed that the bandits abducted a senior military officer.

Nevertheless, the level at which these non-state actors are resurging and unleashing violence at will is something that needs to be treated with the adequate attention it deserves. Government and security agencies should live up to their expectations to surmount these lingering security challenges that disturb our nation’s peace.

It has been noted that an efficient transport system is part and parcel of national security as it entails the movement of people and goods from one place to another across the length and breadth of a particular geographical location. But in today’s Nigeria, it is disheartening to learn that people no longer travel comfortably with peace of mind due to uncertainties associated with our entire transport system.

For example, looking at the land transport system, the roads are in bad shape caused by numerous potholes that can easily plunge a motorist into an accident. Apart from that, the roads are also not safe as bandits, kidnappers and armed robbers are always having a field day launching attacks on commuters, robbing them of their hard-earned properties, abducting or even killing them.

Even the trains are no longer safe as terrorists have since devised a means of exploding rail tracks, thereby forcefully bringing them to a halt to pave the way for them to carry out their nefarious activities on passengers.

The recent bombing of the Kaduna-Abuja rail track by bandits is one of the worst attacks on the Nigerian transport system. Several passengers were killed, others got injured, while scores were equally abducted and yet to be accounted for.

Similarly, Nigeria’s waterways are also dangerous because they are swarmed by pirates who rob ships and sometimes abduct the entire crew only to release them upon payment of ransom. With the recent attack on the airport, it is right to deduct that the entire Nigerian transport system is compromised and has lost its calibre to serve the functions it is known to deliver.

The time is long overdue for Nigeria to rise to the challenge of safeguarding airspace and other transport sectors from the menace of criminal elements.

The importance of airspace and aviation security has been captured effectively in Nigeria’s National Security Strategy (NNSS 2019), a document published by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Babagana Monguno, a retired Major General.

According to the document, “Efforts to secure the Nigerian airspace will be led by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) in collaboration with other relevant agencies. Considering the vulnerability of the airspace, the NAF will employ preventive and protective measures to guard against airspace violations through [the] enforcement of international and national air laws.

“In addition, the NAF will deploy its resources to ensure the integrity of Nigerian airspace is maintained at all times. This will include [the] conduct of aerial surveys and delineation of security zones and liaison with appropriate agencies towards the completion of the Total Radar Coverage of Nigeria (TRACON) project to ensure effective monitoring and airspace security.

The primary stakeholders principally concerned with safety and security in the aviation sector include the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), among others.

The role of these agencies is expected to be coordinated and enhanced in line with extant legislation and policy on Nigerian Aviation Security.

Nevertheless, another evolving phenomenon in airspace security is the preponderance of drones which constitutes safety challenges such as air misses and mid-air collisions with manned aircraft and security challenges such as air space violation, penetration of prohibited airspaces, a threat to VIP security, terrorism and espionage. Others are law enforcement challenges such as drug trafficking and proliferation, all inimical to national security.

To properly secure airspace and the aviation industry, the government must ensure the continuous provision of modern and up-to-date equipment and the promotion of adequate training and professionalism of various agencies handling different aspects of aviation security.

Additionally, Standard Operation Procedures must be developed to streamline the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies to optimize their performance and enhance the cohesion of their personnel.

Furthermore, it is imperative to ensure the development of standard safety protocols and resilience to protect critical aviation information infrastructure against cyber-attacks to enhance aviation security.

Mukhtar wrote from Kano via ymukhtar944@gmail.com.

By Mallam Musbahu Magayaki

I write to commend and appreciate the unmeasurable feats of the Nigerian military personnel and other sub-security agencies for their bid to ensure that two of the well-known wanted bandits, Alhaji Auta and Kachalla Ruga, have met their waterloo. They spent many years operating their egregious activities of the gruesome killing of innocent people without regard to the principle of natural justice.

However, they were killed by a Nigerian Air Force aircraft, under operation Hadarin Daji, at Gusami forest and Tsamre village in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State. Nevertheless, at this point, as they (bandits) reach their cul-de-sac, our adventurous security personnel should not relent unless they spare them all.

Undoubtedly, the death of these two kidnap kingpins is a severe blow to their bandits’ like-minded abhorrent individuals. As such, more triumphant efforts to fish them out of their territories should now be re-engineered by both military personnel and vigilante units who work inexhaustibly day-in-day-out to safeguard the lives and personal possessions of Nigerians.

Yet, there is a need for the government of the federation, specifically the security sector, to organize orientation sessions with security agencies to be fully informed about the assigned task that they have sworn to do of protecting and upholding the country’s constitution. Because we live in a country where some of its countrymen portray sabotage as a virtuous way to satisfy their narrow-minded desires. As a result, they will devote all of their useless energy to changing the great sense of our security personnel to compromise the country’s state of peacefulness.

Moreover, security personnel should be fully equipped with sophisticated weapons techniques to finish off these ruthless humans (bandits) and frequent motivational incentives that would boost their morale to serve uncompromisingly. They should also be retrained in modern battle strategy. A famous West African proverb says, “When the music changes, so does the dance.” It is high time the government changed all its tactics against these despicable fellows.

Mallam Musbahu Magayaki Writes from Sabon Fegi, Azare.Bauchi State. He can be reached via musbahumuhammad258@gmail.com.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Reports have indicated that about 605 repentant Boko Haram members have laid down their arms and surrendered to the Nigerian military in recent weeks.

According to PRNigeria, a top intelligence officer in the know of the issue said that the exercise for the repentant terrorists and their families conforms with the “international laws and best practices, relating to enemies willing to surrender.”

The senior officer said that some of the repentant terrorists were afraid they could be eliminated if they “surrendered but were persuaded by their spouses and parents.”

“Surprisingly, their parents and wives gave them encouragement that they would stand by them if they surrender to troops.

“The intelligence efforts are invisible but manifesting in current outcomes. The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Faruk Yahaya, encourages a mixed technique of kinetic and non-kinetic operations that are humane in nature as he instructed that while we accept those willing to surrender, we should not spare the stubborn one by sending them to where they belong.

“The sustained and well-coordinated military operation has exerted pressure on the terrorists who have deserted their various hideouts and camps, while their members who felt being misled are surrendering with their families to the Nigerian troops.

“During profiling, some of the Commanders who surrendered to troops admitted that their various enclaves are bedevilled by hunger, disease, and the perpetual fear of military offensives.

“The media are key to shaping the troops’ resolve to continue their aggressive posture, while the citizens maintain their confidence on the military efforts on Counter-Terrorism,” the officer said.

The Boko Haram insurgency has led to the killing of thousands of people and the displacement of many in the northeastern part of Nigeria.