From Okwe Obi, Abuja
In a bid to address insecurity, the Defence and Security Watch Group has suggested the implementation of the outcome of the defence retreat.
This is as the group described the recently unveiled national Military Strategy (NMS) as timely in the face of security challenges in the country.
Its Lead Expert, Dapo Akindele, in a statement, yesterday, lauded the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, for continuously brainstorming with other service chiefs on how insurgency and other forms of crime could be resolved.
Gen. Irabor at the end of the four-day Defence Retreat in Asaba, Delta State, had urged Nigerians to have confidence in the ability of the Armed Forces to defeat those responsible for insecurity in the country.
According to him, “Nigeria will certainly have a greater level of safety, that is the essence of this defence retreat in Asaba.
“Nigerians should have confidence in the ability of the armed forces as we work in consonant with other security agencies to tackle security issues.
“With this retreat, Nigeria is safe because a far-reaching decision had been made. Man and life are full of challenges but for us, we don’t focus on the challenges, we are problem solvers. So, we came here to solve problems.”
But corroborating Irabor’s appeal, Akindele urged Nigerians to support the Armed Forces of Nigeria which has shown determination to restore peace in volatile areas of the country.
He said peace and stability were needed to make the 2023 general elections successful, hence the public has a great role to play.
“The National Military Strategy (NMS) is timely, coming at a time enemies of the country would want to truncate peace and stability needed for the 2023 General Election, but we are glad the Armed Forces of Nigeria is up to their games.
“We recall that the CDS has met with retired senior military officers in the six geo-political zones to discuss ways out of the current security challenges in the country
“There was also the National Defence and Security Summit with the theme, “Promoting Kinetic Operations as a major Plank for Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency in Nigeria” in 2021.
“We believe our AFN is adequately prepared to deal with the security challenges, hence the public must continue to offer whatsoever support necessary,” he said.
Nigeria military forces should stop promising Nigerians that peace will return to the country when part of the nation has been turned into killer herders sanctuary especially in the south of the country. Why should the military refused to understand the best way to flush out these terrorists from the bushes, forests and farmlands. They should know that operations like this need fighter helicopters with infra-red and weapons that can neutralise them in their hideouts. It appears that the military does not want to fight terrorism. It took Mali less than one year to decimate terrorists groups operating in northern part of the country with sophisticated weapons and mobile satellite apparatus to monitor their movement.